Shadow Walker
by Lunarii
Summary: Follow the adventures of Rezo, Zandalari Troll priest, as he fights for the Horde he believes in. Many characters make their appearance, original and canon. Reviews greatly appreciated to help the author grow.
1. Shadows of Insanity

**Here is Chapter One. Again, this is not written by me but posted at the request of the original author. The known characters are property of Blizzard. Any unfamiliar characters are property of the author.**

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June.

Month of Kukul'kan, the Raptor Loa Gonk.

Summer has come to Northrend, though you wouldn't know it. The Icecrown still lives up to its name, and the Storm Peaks are receiving another layer of snow atop their glaciers. Re'zo had been summoned though the Argent Dawn to come to the Temple of the Old Gods, Ulduar, to help the assaulting force repair their siege machines. His extensive knowledge of Goblin mechanics made him perfect for a spot on one of the repair crews. Lanorimi, a Bronze drake he had been working with, got him up there easy enough, but refused to take him any farther. Mounting his bike, he rode though the multi arched entrance,and into the vast innards of the temple. Once inside, he could easily see why they needed his help, dozens of machines lay in ruins after they tried to breech further in to the temple. Many on fire, or smoldering and well beyond the ability to repair, but he would use the pieces to patch up less battered ones.

Hours would go by, his red robes slowly becoming greasy and covered in mechanical filth as he crawled around fixing the hundreds of intricate pieces with in the machines. Of course now the alarm would sound,signaling everyone to evacuate, that the scouts ahead have seen danger and signaled back to begin removal of everyone to the safety of the outdoors. Burred within the engine of a siege machine, he barely heard it, and shrugged it off as background noise, he continued to labor,hoping to finish the repairs and get back to his Underbelly home. While he worked on screwing one last bolt into the engine block, the voice came... speaking a language he could only hear as slurring gibberish. Making it worse, the voice was in his head, he tried to cover his ears,shoving his dirty palms against his long ears, but is was no use, the voice continued. It was like listening to a drowning cat, or a lightning storm underwater, his ears ringing with the cacophony of it all. It resonated though his tusks, he could feel it in his eyes, it hurt, it burned, it seared into his flesh, something was wrong. He tossed his goggles away as he clawed at his eyes, they felt hot, as if they were boiling out of their sockets. Raking his hands over his face, he desperately tried to remove the searing eyes from himself, only to find that his hands passed through them, into his skull. Then through his skull, through his head, he couldn't feel himself, he didn't exist. The bowels of Ulduar echoed with the terrified screams of the only mortal within its walls.

Brann Bronzebeard stood outside with his men, leaving the machines behind, knowing full well they would be relatively safe from the twisting insanity that lived with in. They waited outside for hours, monitoring the temple, waiting for the place to settle down before reentering. Once it began to look safe again, they moved to open the enormous doors, a thin purple fog slowly curled over the snow as it spewed from within.. something had happened. Before they could enter to investigate, a figure emerged though the fog, it was impossible to tell where body ended and clothing began, let alone where clothing ended and fog began. The glowing white eyes peered around, its long nose framed by two enormous tusks, which now seemed less rigid then they should be. The 'hair' looked as if it was made from a squid, tentacles flailing behind its eyes. Strapped to its back was a staff, its apex points limp and wriggling slowly, much like an anemone waiting for a meal to pas sby. Purple fog rolled off it's 'clothes' as it moved forward, stepping onto the air itself before screaming out in a low bellow then exploding into the chasm below, quickly fading into the shadows within.

Days would pass after what would be known among Brann's men as the 'Shadow Incident' but nothing was seen or heard from the creature again. They would ask around when they would see a traveler come in from afar, but with no success. Little did they know, that the creature had already taken up refuge, and was slowly regressing through it's insanity. It slowly would become aware of the world around him, recognizing the tribal masks of his homeland on the walls, along side the pictures of scantily clad women his former form appreciated so. This was his home now, in the bowels of the Dalaran Underbelly, in among the shadows of the other shady characters.

Another few hours would pass, he could recall more now, and was sitting half naked on his floor, tinkering with his tools and the scraps of machines he had managed to collect over the years. Slow his new creation plodded along the floor, its little eyes glowing brightly, his feet thumping against the floor, the shiny bomb casing reflecting the torch light around it. Standing up, and looking far more troll like then before, he lights the little walking bomb and grins at it, giving it the odd name of 'Harold' before he glaces around the room again, his eyes now glowing bright white, despite the fading of his shadowy form. Re'zo emerged from his home after nearly a week, he kicked aside a few mushrooms that had grown at the foot of his door and adjusted himself. Eyes darting around, half expecting something or someone to leap from the shadows to consume him again, but there was nothing. No movement,no activity, nothing for his new eyes to see that was anything less then normal. Lanor didn't need to know about this, not yet, he'll contact her some other day, explain whats happened. The Outriders, on the other hand, needed to know now. He'd never been silent for so long,he vaguely recalls trying to use the communicator a few nights ago, but cant recall what was said...

Pulling his motorcycle out from around the back of his house, he hopped on and started the engine. The bike itself was filthy, and he has no idea how if got back here, he had parked at the base of the Ulduar Temple. Trying not to think on it, he rode out, up the ramp and heading for the portal complex upstairs. The ride there was the most exciting he could remember, his eyes, he could see so much more.. the women.. so much more beautiful and curvaceous, the men.. were well.. men... He scowled and wrinkled his nose, this thing was hideous, how had he not noticed? he had disliked them before, but dear lord...he called out and pointed a thick finger at a male Night Elf 'Chu look like chu just fell out'ah Tuesday! Get chu nose back on!" he sneered a grin and rode off,leaving the elf to question what he just heard.

Re'zo was unsure how he got home after the Meeting with the Outriders. After thinking about it, he couldn't remember much of the meeting itself. His mind reeled, he was losing it, he could tell, less seemed real, he had a hard time forming sentences, his mind faded in and out of the void of insanity. Knowledge, he needed information, he needed to stop the God's sway on his mind, else he would be destined to lose it. Clamboring though Dalaran, he tore though bookshelf after bookshelf, his shadowy form moving fluidly from one to the other, looking for any information. The realization soon hit him, that all the text and tombs on the old gods had likely been collected and sent to Brann while he lead the invasion of the temple. Another resource was needed, one untouched or unused, one buried beneath old Lorederan, one hidden away in the Undercity.

Days would pass before he emerged again, slinking though the cold corridors, his thick purple mist following behind him, his hair and tusks , moving slowly, flailing tentacles of shadow. The search resumed, tearing though the books and tombs that were left behind,gathered and collected by the dead, yes, these books might hold the answer, the cure. Harold, silent to all others, had convinced him it was true, and he continued to 'tell him' to look harder, keep trying, don't stop. Books were tossed here and there, the forsaken that lurked about tried to avoid the shadowy figure, until two came to stop him.

They were dead for sure, one was a man, most of his face rotted away ,the other a woman, of which showed little sign of age or death, save for the bony knee caps. Somehow her lips were plump and full, could have been part of the decomposition, but it gave her an alluring look,this of course caught his attention, insane or not. Desperately he tried to talk to them, explain his situation and all that had happened ,but all that came out was gibberish, random words that they could barely string together to make any sense of him. Finally, the woman moved to offer him something to eat, an odd worm or bat-wing looking thing, but it was being offered to him by an attractive woman, dead ass he may be... he ate it.

Memories come flooding back, where he was, who he was, where he had been, how this had all happened, after weeks he knew. Shock was the first thing that struck him, that the dead had a cure for this all along, temporary as it may be, he gladly took all they had, and forced it into one of his alcohol bottles, then looked at them. These forsaken had his answers, he would need them close by... as eloquently as he could, he invited them to join him and the Outriders, on the condition that they would hold up their values, and help him find a permanent solution to his 'problem' Giving them brief instructions, telling them to venture to Durotar and seek out Dorishar, and where to go, what to say, he left them to find their own way. Bigger things needed to be done, punishment, vengeance, retribution, all were to be his once he waged war on the Argent Dawn.

Boom.

That's all Tirion Fording heard before he flew off the mountain ridge at Crusader's Pinnacle, his body crashing back to the earth and sliding down the mountain face towards Scourgeholm. Boom. Commander Emtari had taken cover, chunks of the mountain rained down upon him, the Argent Dawn scattered in panic. Boom, Boom...his blood red robes shown brightly on the snowy mountain out cropping above the Argent Tower, he had landed there, fully armed. Plunging his arms into his bags, hurling bombs over his head, raining them down upon the people below. Despite his eyes now being pools of glowing light, his vision was sharp, he could easily focus on targets and blow them off the mountain, or into small pieces. While in his allegiance to the Argent Dawn, he's learned one thing, blood is thicker then water. While their cause be just, their loyalties are not, while the humans, dwarves and others pledged to the Alliance remain behind and guard their bases, the Horde operatives were sent out, to face the dangers of the scourge head on,to fight and die for the Argent's 'just cause.'

After his meeting with the Forsaken, Harold had gone missing, and he started to think he might have been a figment of his imagination. Re'zo now stood beside Phil, another small machine he'd created, who obediently carried Goblin Rocket Fuel on its back. Using the bright red liquid to smother his bombs in, he launched more and more down at the fleeing groups of his enemies. The Argent has mislead him, misguided him, and put his life at risk rather then to send any of their own kind. Gazing down at the flaming ruins of the outpost, he knew it would only be a matter of time before they rebuilt it, his 'eyes' scanned the area, looking for more, looking to see if they were coming for were not, and in all likely hood, they would chalk this up to the Scourge and business will go on as usual.

No.

This was not the work of the dead, this was the work of the living, the awoken, the Horde. A grin spread across his face, now seeing that there was no one left to challenge him. Alone, he had struck fear into the hearts of the Argent Dawn, into the Alliance itself, only one thing seemed appropriate to say after the devastation he had caused..

"For the Horde.."

And thus is born, the Terrorist known as 'Rezo the Red'


	2. Fires of Revenge

The gray clouds over Zul'Drak slowly moved towards it's horizons. Thick clouds full of water ready to fall as fat rain drops or flakes of snow at a moments notice. The Aurora mixed with the clouds, giving the sky an ominous blue glow, but the heavy clouds still moved out over the landscape, swirling it all into a mass of eerie color. The Festival Bonfire began to hiss and sizzle, heralding the start of the the fire began to smoke and shrink, crackling down to just a few warm wet embers. One might call this a storm, had this much water fallen on the rest of the land. However the once mighty bonfire was soon reduced to a warm pile of charcoal and wood. Re'zo pulled up his pants and began to tie them in place as he let his robes fall back into place.

With one fire desecrated, he mounted his bike and rode over to his own faction's flame, saying a short prayer and taking a swig of his festival brew, he promptly belched fire onto it, forcing it to grow in size. Grinning to himself he returned to his bike, only to see a figure approaching him. It was a man, a hu-man... Commander Kunz of the Argent Dawn, and he was heading right for him.

"You!.. Troll!... What is your name and rank?" he called out to 'zo sneered at him, looking over him for a moment before replying

"Reh'zo...Blood Rider, and Reh'd Priest of deh Horde... why?..." The Commander grinned wider then Re'zo would have liked him to, something was up.

"By the Orders of High lord Tirion Fording, you are to be arrested and tried for crimes against the Argent Dawn, and convicted at the highest level of the courts." Re'zo narrowed his eyes, he should have expected something like this after what he'd done. Launching an attack on the Argent Dawn, by himself was hardly a well thought out action, though he still believes he was right in doing so.

"Who's courts might dat beh?" he asked, knowing full well his answer "ah ain't gonnah go to no Alliance run justice system...tri'ed AND Con'victed?... chu already gots meh fate sealed, chu kin go burn in deh pools of fel, geh't outtah mah way..." Still on his bike, he revved the engine, and pulled a small device from his pocket. Gunning it, he rode full steam toward the Commander, flicking the switch on his machine, he vanished, cloaking himself into the environment, leaving the Argent Commander confused and with out a prisoner.

Days later, Re'zo sat in the Cantrips and Crows, nursing a drink, all the while flirting with Narisa Redgold, the petite Blood Elf barmaid that worked there. Re'zo had no great love for Blood Elves, he knew their history well enough to be bothered by them, but something about the women seemed to make him want to ignore all that, and listen to more primal voices of reason. Something caught his eye though, and he moved the elf from his lap as he got up from his seat. On the wall was a poster, written in common, so he couldn't understand a word of it,but between all the writing, was his face, and the Wolf Paw of the Outriders.

" 'ey.. lil Red, wut's dis all say?.." he asked the barmaid, gesturing at it, she sauntered over and looked over the poster, rubbing her chin,reading it slowly to decipher it.

"Says you're a wanted man, big guy" she nodded and grinned at him,obviously enjoying the fact he was a 'dangerous criminal' now "... for crimes against the Argent Dawn? what the fel did you do?" he shook his head, gesturing her to read on "um.. they are alerting the alliance,that you might try to sneak into their tents or break into their cities to desecrate their festival fires, and to capture you... or any of your guilded faction for questioning..." Re'zo stood up, heading for the portal platform above.

" ah' gottah go toots... put dis on meh tab, I'll be back tah pay in full lah'tah.." he moved quickly, even going so far as to leave his bike behind, he headed for the portal. Orgrimmar, he had to get there and explain himself, again, to Leader Dorishar. Explain, again, that the Argent Dawn is a slanted organization, leaving the Horde forces to do the heavy lifting and the dirty work, while the alliance sits back and waits for the Scourge or the horrors of the Ulduar Temple to thin out the ranks of the Horde. Weakening them from a platform of unification to fight a greater power. Dorishar had to be reminded of this, and the others needed to be warned to hide their colors, as so the Argent Alliance forces did not pluck them off the roads as they traveled. He had to get to Dorishar...

Far to the south, Dorishar rested at his post in Far Watch, it had been a long ride, but he was finally home. Briefly unpacking, he wandered outside to unharness his wolf, a warm breeze from the coast wafted past him, bits of leaves and grass blew past him, catching in his hair and in the wolf's, it felt wonderful, until a wad of paper tumbled into his leg. Bending down to pick it up, he grumbled something about the goblin's filthy habits and the need to clean up the dump known as Ratchet, he unwadded the paper, seeing it as a piece of what looked like Alliance propaganda that had blown in off the docked ship. Re'zo's face aside, he knew he made a habit of being a thorn in people's sides,for all he knew it could have said 'Have you seen the father of my baby?' The other picture however, made him realize that this would be no small matter, the image of the Outrider Wolf Paw, and beneath it all, the seal of the Argents. Dorishar blinked slowly, barley able to discern the texts.

"Reh'zo... what have you done?..."


	3. The Red Line

Puffs of white clouds rose up from the Steam Tonk as it rolled though the snow, a long blue cord tied around it's bomb turret. With little hops, it weaved itself between the legs of the proud statues that lined the walkway to the Argent Arena. In this cold winter night, few were out but the guards, and they were far more concerned with keeping warm rather then guarding a doorway. There was a small fire, the two guards were huddled beside it. The tonk rolled on, now crossing the walkway, the blue frostweave cord thankfully blending in with the dark snow as it began to hop between the legs of the statues on the other side.

Re'zo grinned wide, the controller in his hands, as he steered the steam tonk along his well plotted route, he was hiding behind the building, leaning against it, Taminda was at his side, watching the tonk while stealthed. This was a new tactic, now with her help, he could see though her eyes, and keep himself hidden better. Taminda had recently come to understand what he was saying about the Argents, they cared nothing for the Horde other then to put them on the front lines of the war. Though much less out spoke about it, she had decided to join his cause, and help how she could. Tonight would be her first act of terrorism against the Argents. Soon, the steam tonk's motor burnt out and it fell apart into a pile of lifeless metal, that was their que.

The other end of the frostweave rope was attached to a small dart that had been whittled down to slide into the barrel of Taminda's gun. Timing was everything, Re'zo had noted that there were an alliance group that had gone into the arena a few moments before, he had already seen Gormok enter, the worms had burrowed in, and Icehowl was now being lead to the doors. Taminda slipped behind a box, watching the still dazed yeti being lead up to the arena doors, she took aim. The shot was silent, the waking yeti hardly noticed it, the small dart and the blue rope was in it's thigh, buried deep, the colors all blending with one another in the cold dark night. Once the guards and the beast had past, they both got to their feet and ran toward Broxel Goldgrasp, a seller of fine goblin souvenirs, who watched them curiously, waving a Sen'jin Doublet as they neared.

"...battle on heros..." was the last thing they heard before the unmistakeable sound of shattering stone, shrapnel from the statues ankles shot out in all directions as they well pulled from their pedestals and drug into the arena as the mighty Icehowl began his attack. Taminda was awestruck for a moment, as she moved to try and see the damage, Re'zo's hand gripped her wrist as he ran.

"noo no, no time toots... git in mounted!" he ran to a stabled hippogryph and mounted it, while Taminda ran, still stealthed to her mount. Thrusting his heels into it, the beast took off, he veered around to watch the turmoil, reaching into his bag, he hurled out a few of his signature bombs, blowing apart the roofs below. Orders were called out, hectic cries responded, in the confusion, Taminda was able to escape with out notice. Now mounted on a stolen hippogryph, Re'zo all but blended in, slipping out though the confused guards.

Thrall rubbed his temples, shaking his head, Dorishar stood before him.

" I know things have not been easy Dorishar, I understand the concerns your rider has, but these actions MUST stop, under your banner he has committed three acts of terrorism against the Argent Crusade, unless you plan to join him in the stockade, you need to set him strait or remove him from your ranks." Dorishar began to protest, but his mouth closed as he nodded, begrudgingly.

"Of course Warchief..." was all he could say as he turned to leave Thrall's chambers.

"Put and end to this Dorishar, or else we will have to hold you accountable for his actions" Thrall called out again, making himself perfectly clear. Mounting his wolf, Dorishar rode to Far Watch, thoughts tumbling though his head of how to handle this problem. As he dismounted, he noticed the motorcycle leaning against the building, good, he was here, that means he was safe. Looking around, he saw no argent horses, so he knew that there would be no surprises other his own, he walked in.

Re'zo..."he began, looking to the troll flirting with Ket'Turah, he glanced over, arching a brow " Thrall has demanded that you cease and desist all terrorist activity against the Argent Crusade" Re'zo stood to complain, Dorishar raised his hand "However, instead you are to remove your tabard, and leave the Outriders"This caused an odd, stunned silence, Dorishar looked over the speechless group in the barracks "You are welcome to visit when you can, however while you continue your fight against the Argent Crusade, you cannot associate yourself with us. It will endanger us, the Horde and the unstable treaty we have with the Crusade" Re'zo was still on his feet, he pulled his tabard from himself as he approached Dorishar.

"chu agree wit' meh ideals?..." this was shocking to him, he was curious who else here secretly agreed that the Argent Crusade had too much power over them, who else agreed that Thrall was not looking out for their best intentions, he turned back to look over everyone.

"Deh Horde marches und'ah deh red banner of Orgrimmar... Dis colab'er'eh'tion wit deh Argents beh noth'n more den deh Alliance lord'n pow'ah ov'ah us, we go where dey say, do wut dey want... till deh Argent Crusade gits an equal ah'mout ah Horde in dere higher ranks, deh gonnah beh ah threat tah us... Once dis all ovah, deh Argents jus; gonnah go back to dere Alliance, af'tah send'n our strong'est in'tah battle, to die fer dem... dey has gone too far... dey has crossed deh line, DIS line" he pointed to the banner hanging on the wall next to him "deh red line of dah horde... stand wit meh on dis line, help meh protect it from deh Alliance cross'n it at will..."


	4. The Enemy of my Enemy

" Now I'll tell you for the last time, that is not my name!" the Val'kyr demanded, stomping her foot down as she floated mid air. Re'zo sighed, running a hand though his dreadlocks, his other hand gripping a long pole, with a crumpled banner stuffed into his hand.

" ah al'ready told cha, ah can'tah pronounce chu crazy names, so chu jus gonnah have tah live be'n called 'Sparkle'teets'. Glittah'thighs didn't seem tah mind her name.. chu dun have tah be so damn grumpy... jus go over dere and distract dem Vry'kul wit chu fine bod." he gestured her over to a group of them, tending to a large, red proto drake. 'Sparkletits' sighed and shook her head as she flew to them, muttering something about how she couldn't understand how such an uncouth mortal could come into possession of a Nibelung. The Vry'kul knelt to her, waiting on her every breath as she rambled on about the Victories of Voldrune. Re'zo made his move, pulling his hood up, and sneaking around the boxes and barrels, he faded into the shadows, dispersing himself as he approached the proto drake. Now on its side, he pulled himself from the shadows and hooked a foot into the reigns while pulling himself into the saddle. Plunging the pole into the ground, the banner unfurled, revealing the golden head of a lion, on a blue back drop as he reared the proto drake around, encouraging it to take off.

"Long live deh Alliance! Glory to deh Argent Crusade!" Re'zo yelled out, trying to hide his accent as much as he could. The once distracted Vry'kul both turned, watching the foreign man lift off on the proto drake they had just been feeding. The Vry'kul couldn't really tell one southerner from another, but as they looked to the banner, they knew who had done this. They narrowed their eyes, calling their friends in their native tongue, while gesturing to the sky. 'Sparkletits' simply faded away, her summoning demands having been met, once the pale green metal spheres of Saronite bombs hit the ground, exploding violently, leaving Vry'kul stables a flaming pit.

Re'zo made his way from city to city, leaving Argent and Alliance banners alike for the Vry'kul to find, followed by enormous bomb detonations. He had taken time, and packed in as much powder as he could, forcing the flames and shrapnel to do more damage then it might have done normally. He had flown for days, from the Howling Fjord, through the Grizzly Hills, and onto Brunnhildar and Valkyrion, before he set his sights on Ymirheim. At this vantage point, he could see both Orgim's Hammer and the Skybreaker circling one another , they were the only thing between him, and the last major Vry'kul city. By now, Re'zo had named the drake 'Fon', Zandali for 'Loner' and had become quite attached to him.. his first plan was to crash the drake into the city, letting the beast work itself into a frenzy as the Ymirjar would try to deal with the unmanned beast. Now with the Skybreaker in sight, this gave him a whole new idea. Plunging his hand into one of his bags, he pulled out a flask he'd picked on on his travels. The Orc who sold it to him, made it as a kind of gag, allowing the imbiber to transform into a metal dwarf. As he steered Fon towards the Skybreaker, he drank down the flask, then he felt his body morph and transform. Fon struggled under the new weight, shifting his flight pattern, swerving here and there as Re'zo himself worked to adapt to the new body, he vowed then and there to never do this mid flight again. He took Fon as close as he dared to the Alliance Gunship, hoping the distance would help to disguise his metallic skin, and they might just see a dwarf.

"Dis beh it now Fon... chu jus look scary, ah gonnah take care deh rest." he tossed the flask back in his bag, now reaching into the other, pulling out a fist full of Argent and Alliance banners and flags, each having a large saronite bomb dangling on the ends of them. He dug his heels into Fon's shoulders, sending the beast faster as he approached the Ymirjar city. He could see them looking up at the unfamiliar proto drake, their helmets hiding their eyes and their intentions, but before they could decide if it was friend or foe...

"Long Live deh Alliance! Glory to deh Argent Crusade!" he cried out in a metallic dwarven voice. Beneath the jagged metal beard, Re'zo had one of the widest smiles he'd had in a long while, he dropped the payload of propaganda bombs as he flew over the Vry'kul's heads. Explosions ripped though the buildings, large chunks of flaming debris rained back down onto the city and its inhabitants. Pulling Fon back up into the air, he could hear the yells of the Ymirjar as they reacted to his attacks. Re'zo had only been aiming for buildings, to force the Vry'kul from them to see his escape, and to see the suggestion that the Alliance was at fault for the unexpected attack. This had worked perfectly, with luck, the Vry'kul would redouble their efforts on cleansing their lands of the Alliance invaders for their God and Master. Where ever the blue banner hung, these brutal men of the north would seek to tear it down after seeing what they had done. That was the plan, and the hope, it was soon the farthest thing from Re'zo's mind as a harpoon flew over his shoulder. The Ymirjar were more militant, more organized and vastly more enraged that they had been attacked like this on the door step of their master's fortress. He heard another piercing yell of anger, another two harpoons bolted past him, Fon evaded their chains, but just barely. He had to think fast, it would not take long for them to finally spear him or his drake, or to mount up themselves and chase him down. This was unexpected, such a fast reaction, he had draw their attention elsewhere; he began to worry, it had been months since his own mortality crossed his mind, but here it was, he could likely be caught, and by an unforgiving enemy.

Re'zo's crooked smile returned, his quick wits now giving him another idea, an ingenious idea, an infamous idea...the Skybreaker came into view, dodging another harpoon, he guided Fon towards it. He could hear shouts from the deck of the Gunship, they saw him coming as he tried to stay under their propellers. Encouraging Fon to latch onto the hull, he remained there for a moment, his drake gripping the underside of the Alliance Gunship. Their voices continued over head, he had no idea what they were saying, but it was soon muffled by the sound of a harpoon crashing into one of the Skybreaker's propellers. The chain wrapped around the blades as it spun, the tension soon forcing it to stop. The whole ship lurched for a moment before the chain snapped, forcing the ship to level out again. The tone on board changed, no longer was their some crazy dwarf flying around their propellers, they were now under attack. Another pair of harpoons hit the ship, one crashing through a window, another splitting the thick wooden hull, the ship lurched again. Taking the opportunity, Re'zo allowed Fon to release, to leave his enemies to themselves as he headed south...to take in a drink at the Cantips and Crows, and wash that dwarf outfit off.


	5. Where the Heart Is

News travels fast, it often passes through barriers of language and allegiances, over seas and mountains before the full realization is allowed to impact those who had the news first. It wasn't the Twilight Cult who was slowly siphoning it's people into Orgrimmar, it wasn't the rise of the elements who sought mortals to express their rage as their planes of existence were shattered and broken around them. It wasn't even the rise of Deathwing and the Cataclysm that began to reshape Azeroth in his wake that tore Re'zo's attention from his terrorism.

Zandalar had fallen.

Countless islands through out the world were flooding and drowning, long dormant volcanoes now burst to life as the rage of earth and fire forced its way out into the moral realm. Zuldazar, the shining treasure of the once mighty troll empire, has been destroyed. Sunk by the same ocean that protected it from harm for countless centuries. It had been years since Re'zo had been there, but it wasn't even the loss of this vast island that crushed his heart. The one Zandalari outpost, Yojamba, the only true 'home' Re'zo had ever known, was reclaimed by the sea.

Standing on the Savage Coast, the Zuul'Daia Ruins behind him, Re'zo looked out over the now calm seas and the small, washed out island chain that remained. The event was over, all it was now was the aftermath. He had come as soon as he'd heard, he wasn't sure what else to do, he had to see it for himself. Seeing nothing but open ocean, he knew only one of two things would happen now. Rastakhan would ally himself with the horde, seek their aid as their Darkspear brethren had, or, and unfortunately, the more likely of the two options, he would call on all trolls to help rebuild their empire. With Zandalar gone, the survivors would likely look to claim new lands. Would all the trolls answer such a call? They had made open war with the Gurubashi, and turned a blind eye to the invasion of Zul'Aman. Only time would tell.

Re'zo made his way back to Grom'gol, if the Cataclysm had done this to his home, what might it have done to Orgrimmar? Or Sen'jin? He head heard of Vo'jin's victories in the Echo islands, claiming new lands for the Darkspear, making new allies with an unknown smattering of troll druids. But his mind was on the past now, Yojamba had taken him in when he was a youngling, cast out by his birth clan from Gurubashi, the Zandalari Priests of Yojamba had taken him in, raised him as their own, so much so that he identifies himself as Zandalari now, rather then his Bloodscalp Gurubashi heritage. Would they call on him? It was them who sent him to Orgrimmar in the first place, to help the Argents to save the city from the Scourge outbreak when the Lich King had attacked, struggling to move his Empire south. It was them who pushed him into the Horde, to work with them, to live with them, to -be- one of them. To call on him now, back to his family?

So much had happened, much of his teenage years were spent in Kezan, another island destroyed by the Cataclysm. The world itself was devouring his childhood, leaving him no place to turn, but in two vastly different directions. He took a deep breath and sighed out as he boarded the Iron Eagle, he'd head to Orgrimmar, see what was going on, help how he could. He'd have to find his direction soon, knowing full well, taking one of these paths before him, would burn the bridges to the other.

Orgrimmar was under attack, the Elements ran wild through the streets, it was chaos. Re'zo leaned out over the railing of the Zeppelin, watching in awe. One of the goblins hurried over, giving him a shove "Hey! Get off or take cover mac, no rubber-necking, we ain't stay'n" the goblin didn't wait for a response, moving past him to take a hold of one of the thick ropes that one of the orc guards were trying to tie off at the docking tower. "Whoa no no! My baby is -not- going to hang about when there's rampaging fire and wind going crazy down there, we're leaving!" By the time he turned back around, Re'zo was gone, fading into his shadow form and floating down off the side of the airship. It seemed his choice was coming fasted then he might have hoped, if he helped defend the city, certainly this would prove his Horde allegiance... if not, they might shun him. If he headed back to Stranglethorn and help the survivors there, he'd be a hero.. if not... As he landed and faded out of the shadows, he was pushed aside as Rexxar thundered past him, colliding with a massive rock elemental. Re'zo watched the half orge's feet dig into the ground, pushing and nearly lifting the elemental back along the ground as many of the peons around the docking tower began to flee.

He... looked like he had this handled by himself, Re'zo glanced out towards the Valley of Spirits, his eyes darting around. Vol'jin was there, and he was getting overwhelmed. Thrall and Hellscream must be elsewhere, if they saw fit to bring Rexxar back, this was a -big- deal and everyone would have their hands full, and the Shadow Hunter needs reinforcements that simply were not there. Breaking into a sprint, Re'zo faded in and out of the shadows as he moved, negating any long falls and serious injury as he scrambled to help the Darkspear leader.

Finally landing beside him, he drew the shadows off himself and into his palm, then forcing it out into the water elementals that rose from the pool. The impact was silent, but it was easy to see that their progress was slowed. The sloshing torrent of water lurched towards them, fighting against it's own shadow as the pressed back against him. Vol'jin was unsure what had just happened, but it was the breathing room he needed to put down a few more of the raging elements. Still focus firing and slowing the elementals as the encroached around them, he found the time to dip into his satchel, and grip a few of the pale green Saronite bombs, only to hurl them into the surging movement of the watery creatures, then watching them explode, raining down their liquidy remains onto the two trolls. With a break in the invasion, Vol'jin turned to his assistant.

"Cha did good mon, ah dunnah wut happened tah deh others... was fine here by mah self.. guess dey all moved on tah secure other places... cha mind stay'n by meh side friend? Cha keep dem slowed and dem boom booms roll'n.. ah weh take dem -all- out" he grinned at Re'zo, a bright, exuberant smile. At once, he knew he could trust this man, at once he knew, they shared something, a past where they had to choose between what was easy, and what was right. It was right to remain with the Horde, it would be right for the Zandalari to see his wisdom. The priests of Yojamba were long dead, the tidal waves from the raging ocean would have drug them out to sea. The pride of the Zandalari would never allow them to see what the Darkspear had done for themselves, the path they had laid for all trolls to follow. Re'zo knew now, that none of them would, and not only did Vol'jin also know that, but he didn't care.

The battle with the Elements raged for days, finally, the earth subsided, the raging elements sunk back into their plane to assess and repair the damages caused by the Cataclysm. Vol'jin and Re'zo had been back to back for some time, the battles end left them both soaked in watery remains. They grinned at one another, and Vol'jin gestured to Re'zo to follow him, that curling finger telling him 'we have much to talk about, you're not just anyone.'

The Echo Isles had been reclaimed in whole, for the Darkspear. While he had been gone in Northrend, Vol'jin had a massive temple structure constructed, heralding a new age of pride and power for the growing clan. Vol'jin had taken Re'zo into his home, closing the door and glancing out his windows, ensuring his guards were there, to alert him of any unwelcomed guests.

"Now den... ah had cha at meh back fer ah long while dere mah friend, an ah can'tah help but notice, cha ain't ah Darkspe'ah...mos of deh Horde may not notice, but cha not gonnah pull one ovah on ol Vol'jin... an if mah sources beh right, chu must beh Reh'zo deh Red...Zandalari Priest, Ter'roh of deh Nort'" Vol'jin commented casutally to him as he reached forward, to take a hand full of what looked like lizard.

"Cha.. ah beh Reh'zo...et beh ah honor tah meet cha.." Vol'jin cut him off

"Bah, dun cha go give meh none ah dat boot kiss'n lip service, cha did meh ah good deed mon, it ain't be'come'n of ah ally tah speak tah meh like dis." He leaned back into his chair, his eyes looking Re'zo over. "Wut brings cha tah Or'grimmah?..."

Re'zo shifted in his own chair, its not that he was -nervous- but he could tell his life was about to change. Gone now are the terrorisms of Re'zo the Red. "Ah came tah see deh state of tings... jus flew in from Yojamba, been wiped out, an ah hear Zandalar beh in even worse shape. Cha need'd help, an ah reh'spect cha too much not tah aid ah troll in need" Re'zo settled back into his own chair, now feeling more comfortable to have finally -said- everything that he had seen. Allowing himself to say aloud that his home was gone, made it real, allowing his mind to move onto other things. But before he could speak, before he could request sanctuary here, Vol'jin spoke.

"Ah know bout chu... ah been keep'n ah eye on cha in meh own ways... Thrall wasn't too thrilled wit cha choice of work was he? But, he ain't gonnah stop cha, in him own way, he beh know'n cha got ah point. Ah still bothered bah deh fact he left cha tah do it all alone. Cha work well alone, but ah partner would'ah made cha safer. Cha got skills.. both in deh shadows an in cha mech'anics" Vol'jin leaned forward, thinking, allowing all of this to sink into Re'zo's head.

"Thrall gonnah beh step'n down... wit deh elements in ah uprising, he gonnah go do him shaman ting tah go calm dem down, try tah regain some order tah dis world. He beh leave'n Hellscream in charge while he beh gone. Dis... dun sit well wit meh... he dun undah stand deh needs of deh Horde" Re'zo could tell he had volumes to say on this subject, but he visibly bit his tongue, forcing himself to stay on topic.

"Ah need ah man like chu, Red... some one who kin hold dere own an who seen deh world.. not ah hero...ah shadow, someone tah show others dat deh trolls beh strong allies. Hellscream gonnah have all of Or'grimmah rally'n to him..but he made it clear dat he dun tink highly of meh or mah people." Vol'jin took another bite of lizard, chewing it a few times before swallowing "Ally cha self wit deh Darkspe'ah.. ah want dis clan tah beh cha new home, ah want cha tah serve as meh eyes and ears round deh world. Ain't no'ting bettah at watch'n deh world den ah shadow." he smirked as he sat up, setting the last bits of the lizard aside, his voice becoming more grandiose "Cha gonnah beh mah Shadow Walker, Zul'Re'zo, Red Priest of Vol'jin" he smirked at him, obviously enjoying the way it all sounded.

Re'zo was rather shocked to say the least, but agreed in moments. He had been struggling for a direction, and fate had laid one out for him. He would not have to follow Hellscream, not directly anyways. Given Re'zo's history of disobedience, Vol'jin could probably use a man like him, who was not opposed to going against direct orders and working more on gut instinct. Vol'jin stood, pulling off a flat, carved wooden token from his own armor and offering it to Re'zo. "Cha take dis Red, beh ah littah totem of mine, if ah beh need'n cha.. it gonnah allow meh tah express meh spirit out to cha... If Hellscream gonnah beh let off his leash, ah dun tink ah gonnah beh go'n in tah dat place much. Beh mah eyes, beh mah ears, use cha mind, use cha heart. For de Horde, for de Darkspe'ah"


	6. No Good Deed

Leon Strozberger sat at the Broken Tusk bar, both his hands gripping his mug of ale, teeth clenched, a look of disdain locked on his face. That damned Troll... who did he think he was? Munira was -his- girl, and here she was, cursed to tag along with that horrible Troll! He didn't even belong here, the beast was a wash out of the Zandalari tribe and a priest of Hir'eek to boot! The fool didn't even try to hide it, the egotistical bastard, flaunting himself around that bar.. flirting with whoever he saw fit. Munira was a goddess, and that long nosed brute was hardly treating her right! To think he tried to intimidate him, talking down to him, using his size to try and bully him away... Well, it had worked.. Leon was less then half the size of that Troll, his Goblin instincts were to fall back till he could arrange another plan of attack. What the hell could he do? That jungle beast had her under some kind of voodoo spell, it was the only explanation why he couldn't get her away from him. Something had to be done, someone should be told.. but who?... Leon rubbed at his face, thinking still, but his thoughts had come to an abrupt end with the looming question. It wasn't until then that he realized the entire bar had gone silent. Slowly, he looked around, every eye was trained on him, even Gamon looked to him curiously. He had been talking out loud? Everyone must think he's a rambling idiot now. Leon rose a hand to his temple, rubbing at it, what a terrible week this had been. Soon, the Orc guard standing outside approached the goblin, axe in hand, staring at him as he sat on his barstool.

"What Zandalari scum is in our city?...You will tell me now..." growled the Orc, eying him slowly, suspiciously. Leon stopped rubbing at his head, this was his chance.. he could just this guard everything, even a few things that may or may not be true of course, and this information, if it was just juicy enough, could make its way to Hellscream himself. Then that Troll would be in for a world of pain, for sure, Leon grinned wide.

"Vat do yous vants to know?... I vould gladly share vat I know fer ze good of ze Horde..."

The Wyvern's Tail, Red's home away from home. If he wasn't working or in Sen'jin, it was likely he was there. Lately, he had fallen under the eye of Munira Floatstone, a buxom, boisterous Gobliness who made it her business to be one hell of a looker. Weather though sheer dumb luck, or maybe she saw something in him others didn't, but the past few weeks, they had been joined at the hip it seemed. Munira was well known for dating bar patrons, but never for this long, every day she came in looking for him, and if he wasn't working, he'd be there to meet her. Today, was different. Red shouldn't be working, it was far too late in the evening, he should be half way too drunk by now.

Munira put her balled fists on her hips, her eyes scanning the bar a third time just for good measure, already there was an elven man looking her over from afar, his eyes resting on her bosom as he might be working up the courage to simply buy the girl a drink, but before he could, she turned on her heel and left. Should she ask around at the bar? Would anyone even give her the truth? She thought not, most would want her to think her main squeeze was gone and that she should in turn select them for her next hook up. No, she'd have to track him down on her own.. but it's only been a day, not quite time to worry.

Hours earlier, Red had been in his favorite spot, hunkered down beside the bar at the Wyvern's Tail nursing at his drink. He had been chatting to Gravy about this and that, nothing too important, but Bartenders were a fantastic source of gossip, they heard it all and usually said nothing to anyone... unless asked of course. Weather he knew it or not, Gravy was supplying much needed information to Vol'Jin through Rezo. From the day the Cataclysm struck, Vol'Jin had put much of his trust into the Red Priest once he learned of his secret work for Thrall during the Scourge War.

"So, Herezegor jus drink any'ting cha gives him?... dem Dragonmaw beh ah strong belly folk...guess deh gottah beh tah handle eat'n all dat Dragon and Dwarf" Rezo said, then shrugged, smirking at Gravy as he sipped at the mug of cactus cider he had. Herezegor Flametusk didn't seem to notice he was being talked about, or even that he was in a public place. He sat slumped against the far wall, one hand thrust in his pants, his other hand holding a drink as he stared off into space.

With a solid purpose in their step, two Orc grunts came into the bar, their beady eyes shifting here and there until both pairs rested on Re'zo. It was a slow day at the bar, no one was even there except for Herezegor, Gravy and Re'zo.

"You. Priest. You are to come with us, and to report to Garrosh Hellscream, by his orders" one of them barked, his jaw returning to its locked and set position. Rezo quirked a brow up at him, already one sheet to the wind, and working on his second.

"Ell'Scream beh want'n meh? Deh fel fer? Ah ain't got no'ting hims wants" Re'zo grumbled and shifted, wishing these two would just go away. The other, more silent of the two stepped forward, taking him by the shoulder, gripping him to hold him in place

"The eyes of Hellscream are upon us, he orders you brought to him, and you will be brought!" before Re'zo really could understand what was going on, there was a heavy pair of shackles clamped around his wrists, the heavy chain now restricting his arm movements, to prevent him casting.

"Deh fook cha do'n?!" Re'zo's brows furrowed as he protested, trying to struggle, but in his inebriation the two well muscled Orcs subdued him, and now forced a muzzle over his mouth, the straps looping around his tusks. Whatever this muzzle was made from, it was thick, shiny and black... and inhibited his ability to cast anything verbal. Re'zo the Red, was finally caught.

After being lead from the Valley of Honor and into the Valley of Strength, paraded like a war criminal through the Drag, Re'zo was thrown down to his knees in Grommash Hold, his hands now bound behind his back and tied to his staff. There was little to do but sober up and face Garrosh, fighting his bonds would do no good, even if he was to break free and escape, he was no match for the grunts that guarded the Hold. Garrosh Hellscream sat on his throne, leaning over to one side eyeing a long piece of parchment that a goblin was holding up for him. In one of his huge hands, Garrosh held a small pair of spectacles, his thumb over one broken lens, while he held the other lens over one eye while closing the other, attempting to read the fine print of the goblin paperwork.

"Re'zo the Red... The Red Priest of Northrend.. so here you are, hiding away under our very noses." Garrosh huffed, setting the spectacles down and shooing the goblin off, holding the parchment as he turned back to gaze down to the troll on his knees.

"You seem to be making many trips to the Eastern Kingdoms... spending much time in Sylvanas' City of the Dead... what would a Troll be doing there so often I wonder.." Before Re'zo could answer, Garrosh continued, now throwing the parchment aside, Re'zo could see it was obviously a zeppelin log as it slowly recoils itself on the floor.

"I must admit, you did good work against the Alliance forces of Northrend, but the fact still remains, that you are a traitor" Re'zo scoffs at this, his head tilting up to glare at the 'Warchief'

"Ah ain't no such ting! Dere beh many tings ah am, ah trait'or ain't one ah dem" Hellscream sits back in his throne, as if the trap had finally been sprung.

"You follow Vol'jin, you make no secret of that... he opposes me at every turn, and threatened to end my life! Yet -you- still choose to wear his badge and honor his name over mine." Garrosh shifted in his throne, as if trying to make himself appear larger.

"You are not one of the Darkspear... -you- are a Zandalari Priest left over from before the Cataclysm" Garrosh's grin widened, he had finally gotten his hands on one of Vol'jin's men, and he would certainly be made an example of

"If you are not a traitor to me and the Horde itself, then you are a traitor to your own people. Rastakhan called on the trolls to rebuild their empire, Vol'jin brought his filthy Darkspear back to Durotar, but you.. you followed them, abandoning your own people. Rezo the Red.. you are not to be trusted, and I am not to be trifled with. I will -not- stand idly by while you work to dismantle the very core of the Horde! You, are here by banished from Orgrimmar it self... lets see Vol'jin find a use for you now" Garrosh sneered, but couldn't help but smile down at him from his throne.

There were murmurs from around him, many of the Orc grunts glared down at him now, waiting for him to simply be thrown out of the city, hoping Garrosh would do it himself. Breaking the silence however, Eitrigg spoke up

"Warchief... I'm afraid you can't do that.." Garrosh glared at him now, his small beady eyes staring at the elder, as if trying to see though him.

"And why would an aging warrior think he could argue with his Warchief?" Garrosh sneered, the bitter resentment in his eyes was hard to ignore, he knew what he was going to say, wasn't going to be anything he wanted to hear.

"Thrall pardoned Zul'Re'zo once Vol'jin took him under his guide... The Red Priest was adopted into the Darkspear Tribe, his work in Northrend earned him that right, and his aid in the Cataclysm endeared him to his troll brethren. Banishing him from Orgrimmar will only upset our alliance more with the Trolls, not to mention go against the word of Thrall himself"

Garrosh chewed on his lower lip, listening to all of this, his eyes slowly shifting back to Re'zo as he leaned awkwardly in his throne, putting most of his weight to one side. The Warchief sat there, considering for a moment before standing up, leaving Gorehowl beside his seat as he approached the priest who still kneeled before him.

"So be it. You are welcome to stay in Orgrimmar, but know this priest.. my eyes are on -you- now... and I see you going back to that City of the Dead and visiting that Lich Queen.. give her a message.." with that, Garrosh Hellscream threw his fist into Re'zo's face, launching him back onto the floor of Grommash Hold. Garrosh stood watching, his now unconscious body resting on his back, his huge form laid atop his still bound arms.

"Get this out of here, put him on the first Airship to Undercity, dump him anywhere.. if he wants to come back, let him find his own way... pay off the goblins in the towers, he won't be using their services to come back" Garrosh snorted and turned away, marching back to his throne

"If I find of my men helping him, they will have to answer to -me-" he glared around the room, then glanced back to one of the parchments the goblin left behind

"Make sure this decree gets to every corner of the Horde... I would not want anyone ignorant." Garrosh glanced back to Eitrigg, who had simply lowered his head, slowly shaking it as he led the guards that carried Re'zo's body off to the Zeppelin tower.


	7. Out of the Frying Pan

Eitrigg did not escort Re'zo's unconscious body to the zeppelin tower. Once outside the Valley of Strength, he excused his men and hoisted his body over his wide shoulder pad, instructing them that he could 'handle this trollish whelp.' Eitrigg carried him to the Valley of Wisdom, and made his way to the Cenarion Emissary, Blackhoof.

"Blackhoof... I don't much care for this troll... but right now, I like him far more then our acting Warchief... could you see to it that this...troll.. is put to work away and out of sight? I've heard of a hard fought foot hold your people and the druids have made into the heart of the Firelands.." he dropped Re'zo on the ground, taking no care in how he handled him. Tirion Fordring was his friend, this troll had attacked him... but considering the state of things, he -was- still alive, and his concern was a valid one. Blackhoof nodded, rolling the troll over onto his back with his hoof.

"Yes. The Druids are working together in what is called the 'Guardians of Hyjal'... you think it would be wise to put in close proximity to the Night Elves of Elune?" Eitrigg ran his hand over his beard, thinking as he looked down to the troll, Blackhoof's hoof still nudging at him. "Might keep him in line, especially if the Tauren keep their eye on him. Send him out to the front lines, he's a smart one, he'll adapt.

Zen'Vorka had accepted Re'zo into Malfurion's Breach, the aging troll was keeping an eye on him through out the day. Hellscream could certainly pack a punch, if any bones had broken, the troll regeneration had healed him on the trip. His face still had dried blood on it when he woke up, he could feel it crusted in his eyelashes.

"Uuhhg..." Re'zo moaned as he sat up, running a hand over his face, flakes of blood wiping away, to reveal no lasting wounds. Zen'Vorka scratched his nose, well, he was awake.. now what? He glanced around a few times, there was really no one here with them, but he was never given instructions of what to do if he ever woke up. Standing from his crouch, he wandered out into the overgrown foothold the druids had claimed.

Re'zo had watched him go, he had no idea who he was, or -where- he was. But it was hot, and noisy and... there was a tauren in the doorway, making his way down to him.

"You may call me Soilhoof... I have been asked to keep an eye on you around here. You are among friends when you are with me. I have been.. briefed.. and I do make it a habit of knowing whats going on in this world. So, of course I would know the Red Priest when I see him."

Soilhoof's armor was riddled with feathers, as if he had recently been an eagle. His eyes surveyed Re'zo, having never met the man behind the name, it was a lot to take in.

"Tank cha Viz'ier... ah dinnah know wut tah do wit hims next...an ah dun tink Mal'furion gonnah want him run'n about by hims self" Zen'Vorka was behind the tauren, who turned to him, shaking his head "That title isn't necessary, I make it my business to know things... as such I can advise my brethren" Zen'Vorka just shrugged, and gestured with his hand for the tauren to take his 'guest' with him.

An explosion ripped through a tree as they exited the cave, and within moments it began to regrow itself. The wood moved like liquid, wrapping around itself, solidifying, growing, strengthening.

"This, Re'zo, is the Firelands Assult, the Guardians of Hyjal are fighting back." said Soilhoof as he gestured outward, letting Re'zo take it all in.

"How.. deh hell did ah git out here?...Fook'n Hellscream send me out here tah die?.." he asked his new tauren 'friend' as he reached into a pocket, putting his goggles on for the first time since his vision returned. He adjusted a few of the dials, bringing the brightness of this place down to a more tolerable level.

"I.. do no think so, If my sources are correct, you were sent here to stay out of the way. And to help in the cause." Re'zo glanced around, sneering, a look of disgust over his face.

"Elfs... dey gone sent me tah work with deh elfs..." he took a deep breath as if preparing to let loose a line of obscenities, but held his tongue. Vol'jin had mentioned that he needed to help gain the trust of the rest of the Horde. When the revolution came, and it -would- come, the trolls would need all the allies they could get. Re'zo glanced back to Soilhoof as he closed his mouth, exhaling through his nose.

"Ah here tah work wit chus, not dems.. long as dem sights ain't on meh, ah gonnah leave dem beh... while we're here." he made sure to add that last part. Once they were out of the Firelands, the elves were fair game.

Vizier Soilhoof gave him a sideways glance. "So be it."

Months had passed, Re'zo found himself now only wearing the remnants of his red robes now, a blood red kilt wrapped around his waist, tied with a scrap of sleeve. One could now see his tattoos various bars, lines and rings in bright oranges and whites contrasted off his blue skin. Around his neck, hung more trophies and fetishes once hidden in the robes, more proof of his many conquests and adventures.

It was hot. He was used to the jungle life, but this was like nothing he'd even endured.

He missed Munira, certainly she would have heard what happened by now, certainly she would have been looking for him.. Where would she go? He had friends in Undercity, she'd likely start there but... his trail would have gone cold, no one in Orgrimmar who knew, would tell her. The might even expel her from the city as well simply for mentioning his name. He hoped she was alright, for now, today was a victory. He leaned back, careful not to touch the molten egg he had lifted out of a nest on his patrols. He had picked it up, it was stupid, and he sees that now. In a land of fire, everything is hot. He glanced down to his bandaged hands, then to Soilhoof who was mixing another salve to apply to him once those bandages needed to be changed.

"Dis place? Sucks. Et beh hot, tings beh angry, an ah wanna go home." Soilhoof chuckled, it was uncommon to hear such delight from his more subdued partner.

"We will not be going for some time, we have work to do here, good work. Honest work. They shared a tent now, having forced their way deep into the Firelands, every few weeks, moving closer to the Throne of Flame.

Soilhoof had been working on a project, researching and reading and watching, always watching. Fandral Staghelm was out there, somewhere. He had betrayed the druids, he had betrayed him. Night Elf or not, Druids had always found it difficult to maintain hostilities between factions. It was not uncommon for Tauren and Night Elf to be in one another's company, it was the way of Cenarion after all. But this Elf, had betrayed them all, taken a once peaceful and balanced coalition and twisted it into something else, something new, something disgusting and unnatural. This was where Soilhoof's mind was, this is where it went.

Whatever happened out here, Fandral Staghelm must answer for his betrayal.

Soilhoof's determination took him far, deep into the Firelands with Re'zo close behind. If he had to work off his insults to Hellscream, whatever. If the Horde needed his skills on the battlefield, sure. He's ingratiated himself with the tauren now, this one trusted him well enough, even seemed to trust him just from connecting the name to the man. But he's done here, he wants to leave. It's hot, its miserable, and he couldn't give to craps about some old druid going insane. Now, they were tracking Flame Druids across the battle front; Soilhoof was convinced it was Staghelm, and his convictions were pulling him farther and farther away from the Druidic force pushing it's way into the Depths of Firelands.

By the evening, he realized just how far out he had gone. The tents of his war party could just be seen near the horizon. Soilhoof narrowed his gaze, something was wrong back at the camp. Re'zo, meanwhile found a non-molten place to sit, his eyes looking up at the sky. It felt like night, by his best guesses, it -was- night.. but with no sun and no moon and being surrounded on all sides by the heated orange glow of pain and burning, it was really hard to tell. He hadn't been sleeping well, the natural glow of the land made it difficult to drift off into anything that might be called sleep. He hated the Firelands, but he had picked himself up a few notable trophies and artifacts, so, it wasn't -all- bad. His eyes dropped from the sky as he sighed out, bored, annoyed tired...

"Deh fel cha go'n?... ah thought we wandered all deh way out here for ah reason!" Soilhoof was running back to the camp, each hoof fall cracking the ground beneath him as he propelled his huge size back the way they came.

"The Night Elves are breaking camp, I can see them leaving... I do not think they've alerted the Tauren, something is wrong!" Soilhoof kept talking, kept explaining, but he was now far away enough that it was lost in the soldering sounds of this stupid place.

The Night Elves were leaving, the had broken camp and they were falling back. What did they know that they weren't sharing? If this had been discussed, why wouldn't they wait until morning to put their plan into effect? Re'zo got to his feet, why hadn't he found shoes that fit by now? Troll feet were tough, but the heat of this place made it almost painful to walk. Thank the Loa for regeneration, right? He heard a rumbling behind him now, the sound of fire moving like water, flowing over the landscape on flaming angry feet. The Flame Druids had amassed an army, dozens upon dozens of wildly burning cats pounded towards him. Had Malfurion seen this? Had he pulled his people back to avoid the coming invasion? Did.. he leave the Tauren as fodder? It was Taurajo all over again.

The Flame Druids were focused on their task, it was obvious, their eyes were wreathed in flame and only had sights to purge this land of that camp. They stampeded past him, paying him no attention at all, some of them even darting around him to avoid running into what they determined was nothing more then an obstacle. With little choice, Re'zo ducked down into the invading flood of druids, hoping to make himself more inconspicuous as the Firehawk form of Majordomo Staghelm made his way over his army, watching safely from above.

If he acted, he'd be over whelmed, he told himself thing when the thoughts of cowardice creeped into his mind. Vizier Soilhoof would make it back to the Tauren camp, he'd help rally his kin, they'd fight off this invasion, and they'd find him. Tauren understood what it was to be outnumbered and that sometimes hiding rather then attacking was the wiser option. He had lived among Orcs too long, he could see any number of them charging to their death. "Victory or Death" after all, he thought. There was no strategy bloodlust, he'd fought large numbers of people before, but he had gone to them, had a plan, he had an idea. This.. he'd never been caught off guard before.. damn that Tauren. He had allowed himself to follow him, to let him make the decisions, the choices.. he had ignored his own instincts just so he could keep his head down and himself out of the way. He needed to talk to Vol'Jin, he need to get out of what he knew was a terrible, terrible place to be. Firelands was no place for him, his skills were useless on a battlefield, he was a guerrilla, a terrorist, but -not- a warrior.


	8. Fog of War

Re'zo awoke.

He blinked his eyes a few times, slowly shifting them left, then right. He was in a hut... in... Sen'jin? It looked like Sen'jin..it sounded like Sen'jin... it even -smelled- like it. He sat up slowly, once he was fully upright, he began to lean forward, eager to get his aching head into his hands, what a headache.

Firelands. That's the last thing he remembered. He was pinned down, the Flame Druids were advancing... the night elves had abandoned their tauren allies. Soilhoof. Was he ok?...how.. did he get -here- anyways?...

Dragons have a way of getting their noses into things. It's how it has always been, and would continue to be so until their were no more dragons, one would presume. They like to know whats going on, they like to restore things to the way they see fit, right or wrong. The dragons knew about the encroaching issues coming from the Firelands, and with the Guardians of Hyjal slowly crumbling as the Firelands itself flexed it's might, and the corruption of Alysria. Without help, the Fires would certainly expand its territory. Of course, dragons also aren't known to 'swoop in and save the day.' It's no their style, they would much rather to let the mortal world care for itself. But this was getting out of hand, they needed an excuse to make their presence known.

It was the Bronze Dragon Flight that identified an artifact of interest that had been smuggled into the Firelands, and it was they who made the first move. They rallied mercenary adventurers to aid the Hyjal Guardians, to strengthen their lines, to bolster their numbers. There was something in the Firelands the Blue Dragon Flight had requested .

There was no heroic rescue for Re'zo, he had succumb to the power of the Firelands. As a last ditch survival, he had seeped into the shadows, tapped a power he avoided for years, his body shifting into a realm where only darkness and chaos could thrive. Time has no sway over this realm, so it had felt like only a moment before he was summoned out of it. Durring his misadventures in this hellscape, he had collected trinkets and trophies like he always had, one of which, was of interest to the Blue Dragon Flight, and these adventurers sought it, rather then him.

It was to their surprise that a large, shadowy troll fell from the shattered splinter of Nordrassil as they recovered it. Further surprise came when they discovered he was unconscious and not eager to fight them, like most things in this place were. Despite his enormous stature, these adventurers, like most Azerothians, could not tell one troll from another. Assuming he was Darkspear (why else would any other troll -be- here?) they carried him out of the realm of Ragnaros. Knowing full well of the rift between Orgrimmar and the Trolls, they thought it safest to bring him home.

Vol'jin had told Re'zo all this once he has woken up, and had something to eat. He had been unconscious for a long time, and it wasn't until last week he had faded back into the real world and out of whatever shadow coma he had been in. Months had passed, the Firelands had been pushed back, conquered, and the threat had be neutralized. A new threat had then rose, and fell, with the help of Thrall and the Dragon flights. Azeroth was recovering, healing; the damage of the Cataclysm slowly fading into memories, but now, there was a new task at hand.

Not a task of war, but of peace.

"Zul'Re'zo.. cha did mah work wit honor an ah kin see deh Loa Hir'eek beh watch'n over cha soul. Beh careful of hers.. Blood an Darkness beh down her path, but if cha kin walk deh shadows, den ah sure cha kin walk dat line... ah gots ah new job fer cha. Panda'ria has revealed herself tah us. Wit deh Cataclysm ovah, deh world beh heal'n.. an deh southern mists beh fade'n.. Both' Alliance an Horde beh rush'n tah claim lands an allies... ah need someone out dere for meh. Chu an I ain't go no friends who kin help us in Orgrimmah any more. Any powah dey had, is long since stripped." Vol'jin leaned back, a hand rubbing over the stubble of a beard he was working on.

" 'Ellscream beh send'n ah airship back dere, after hims first fleet was lost, ah need chu tah stow away on it. Ah need cha tah beh mah eyes an ears out dere Red... ah need cha tah find -us- allies, people who gonnah listen tah deh wisdom of deh trolls." Vol'jin refreshed Re'zo's drink as he nodded, listening to his chieftain's words. Vol'jin looked back to him, they his eyes shifted to look outside. Turning to see what Vol'jin's eyes were trying to show him, he saw the Flametalon. It was happily standing in the raptor pen, though many of the raptors avoided the large flaming bird.

"Cha egg hatched why cha been asleep, dat came stroll'n outtah cha bag one day...ah been call'n him Feng'jin.. but he dinnah leave cha side till he got too big tah stay by cha side." Vol'jin chuckled, slowly standing up now.

"Cha kin take him wit cha, des'pite deh looks, deh feathers ain't beh dat hot really... cha got two days till Ellscream's Fist flies out. Take care of cha affairs, den find cha self on dat boat."

Re'zo did as his chieftain requested, and the first thing to do, was send a letter to Gravy. Gravy may be a troll, and may stand in defiant solidarity with his brothers and their new 'place' in the Horde, however since he -did- run the bar, he was one of the few trolls not confined to the Valley of Spirits. Not only that, he could get his letter to Munira. Reassuring her he was safe, and had been working, and sadly, will be shipping out for more work, but that in a few weeks, if all goes well, she could join him, and he could show her the majesty of the new land.

He sent the mail out with the next caravan to Orgrimmar, then looked to Feng'jin. He was too bulky to fly, but so was he... an he had flown before. Re'zo glance northward, the Goblins had a port in Azshara, certainly any new airship would come from there and dock in Bladefist Bay. With enough effort, pulling the bird into the shadows and sending the two of them onto the empty airship shouldn't be too difficult.

It was not clear what had happened, Zul Re'zo and Feng'jin had been well hidden, there were many unmanned areas around the ship, currently, they were outside, on the upper bow, now that the mists had encroached around the ship. Now, there were explosions, and he could feel the airship losing altitude. There was no time, if they crashed, he'd be found out for sure, but if he shifted into the shadows and just -jumped- who knows where he'd end up. However, the later was certainly not going to be a Horde brig, and the choice was made. As one of the airbags caught on fire, and the roaring explosion of pressurized gassed began to make it's way to him, he was atop Feng, and fading into the shadows as he opened his stubby wings, and let himself glide.

The shadows felt... strange. They were heavy and fluidic, thick and wet... organic... living...the normally purple blackish world was skewed into whites, grays and shades of black that seemed darker now next to the bright whites of the landscape. This Shadow Realm dripped with life, it infused everything, and it was aware of his trespassing. Re'zo could feel the shadows respond, shifting and growling, talking amongst themselves, unsure what to make of this creature in their midst. It was hard to see anything in this strange, alien world of light and dark, moving through it felt like he was swimming in glue, he and Feng drifted rather then flew. Soon, he could feel the shadows pushing against him, swirling and thrusting their bodies into him as he passed over the mountains and valleys of the Jade Forest. They wanted him out, he had no business here, and it was an insult to have a moral in this realm of theirs. Then the voices started.

They were whispers at first, testing his resolve, questioning his methods, and with in moments, the shadowy thoughts had seeped into his mind, reading it, learning from it, expressing it around him. They fed on his anger, his hate, their attacks growing stronger the more they learned of him. The rambling whispers of doubt rang loud in his skull, through his ears heard nothing. It was painful, in a way he had not felt pain since the attack of Yogg Saran so many years ago. He had to get out of this realm, he'd revisit it later when he wasn't trying to escape the destruction of Hellscream's Fist.

Glancing around, he saw a clear area in the mountains and steered Feng towards it, he'd land and get out of this place before these shadowy creatures could dig any deeper into his brain. The decent was fast, seemed that Feng was eager to get out of this place as well. Mere feet from landing, Feng's legs caught on something unseen and he halted to a stop, launching Re'zo off his back and forcing him from the nefarious realm he trespassed in. Color rushed back into his field of vision, seeing now that there was some kind of settlement here, and inhabitants!

In a fraction of a second, Re'zo realized that Feng's feet must have caught on this table, then, he found his nose mashed into it as he slid across it, knocking food and drink into the laps of the people who sat there.

Silence.

The crowd was mostly Pandarian, though there were a few scattered Jinyu and Hozen here and there, also enjoying a meal. Re'zo came to rest at the head of a table beside a very large Pandarian he would eventually find out, was named Xiao. Still, there was silence, then as if choreographed, every head turned to look behind him. Grunting, Re'zo pushed himself up and looked around, not a one was looking at him, all were looking to the two Pandarians at the main table behind him. Oh Loa, this was a hard table, his face hurt, even his tusks hurt, and looking behind himself at his path of destruction, the table did not have a single mark. Not a scratch, not a gouge, not a mark, save for a whiteish burn mark from where he impacted the table before he shifted back into the real world.

All eyes were on Lorewalker Cho.

Even the eyes of the High Elder, Cloudfall. Cho blinked a few times, his eyes darting from the white sha mark on the table, up to the slowly rising creature on the table. What was it? It was not a Mogu, or a Sha Beast, but he had -seen- it before. In one of his books? no... in a scroll, yes, there were pictures, drawings, horrifying stories of "Troll?!" he cried out, one thick brow twitching as he said it. He couldn't believe it, it had been ages, and one simply falls out of the shadows and into the Tian Monastery dining table? Cho glanced around, where there MORE coming? Was this some kind of second coming of the dark ages?

Had it been anyone else then the eccentric Cho, the other diners might have grown worried when he ran off screaming and mumbling to himself. Cho, they knew, was a busy and a very unique man, perhaps seeing this creature, this.. troll, reminded him that he had something else to do, to research. Even if this troll -was- a danger, he was in Tian Monastery, and the only place in the land with more highly trained Monks was the Shado Pan Monastery up north. All eyes fell to Re'zo now as he finally found himself sitting on the table, eye to eye with the massive Xiao.

Xiao tilted his head and narrowed his eyes a bit as he looked down to the table, his meal being one of the few not disturbed by his sudden entrance. His large, thick fingers picked up a spring roll and held it up at the sudden visitor "Hungry?"


	9. Drums of War

Gara'jal sat, the work being done on the Isle of Reckoning was nearly complete, the rest of them could finish work on Thunder's Call. He had other business to attend to. Zul had taken him and this Zandalari army to this island to revive a long forgotten alliance. They had reached out, looking for allies, many had joined, the Gurubashi, the Amani, the Farraki and even the frozen Drakkari joined his call, abandoning the fragile alliance with Rastakan to follow Zul. Of all that had come, Gara'jal was most hoping for one of his pupils. No where had he heard of him arriving, or even sending word to the growing troll alliance. Had he been duped into following Vol'jin and the Darkspear? No matter, he would draw him out. If he was still under the influence of the Shadow Hunter, he'd be here in this new land. If he was here, then he'd certainly respond to an all out assault on this virgin soil and the village of innocent Pandarians.

Re'zo looked up as he heard a thundering gong, down the stairs, Lorewalker Cho had collided with the enormous Clarion Bell at the center of the Tian Monastery. Babbling, Cho stood up, glancing around before his eyes met with Re'zo's.

"You! Red!... you... you assured us that you and your kind had no malice to this land or it's people!" he scowled up at the troll, his hands balled into fists as the wrinkles formed around the muzzle of his bear-like nose. Zul'Re'zo's eyes widened and was about to speak, but closed his mouth and thought again.

"Where beh dis attack?... an jus wut beh happening?.."

"TROLLS! More then I ever thought possible..." cried Cho, still infuriated, but slowly calming down, beginning to realize that these may -not- be Red's allies

"Deh Zandalar... why deh Fel would deh beh out here?... Cho.. tell meh bout deze 'Troll Legends' cha heard bout in cha research..."

Armed with the knowledge that the Mogu and the Zandalari once held an alliance, before history was history, before time was time, Re'zo swiftly made his way to the Zouchin Providence. These Mogu were unlike the other constructs the titans had placed, they had been left alone, left to discover themselves, only to discover they were powerful. As Re'zo understood it, they used this power to subdue a titan, and one claimed his crown. This, was the Thunder King. The Zandalari's ancient alliance had given them the task, the duty, and the privilege of using their voodoo to ensure the King's return if he was ever to fall. Not only had he fallen, but the Zandalari had forsaken him, allowed his empire to collapse and send all of Pandaria into myth.

Soaring over the Xuen's Temple, Re'zo could see the fleet of Zandalari ships crowding the shores, they had been here a long while, they had even set up a camp just out side the city that was under siege. How long had it taken to get word out? Now that he was here, he could see how early he had arrived, there was no Horde, no Alliance... no one was helping these defenseless locals... he knew the Zandalari better then anyone, but how could he hope to make a difference on this battle field? He landed, and sent Feng off to hide in the mountains. Re'zo made his way into the town, only to have to quickly defend himself, pulling the long red dagger out of his belt to clash against one of the Pandaren swords. The woman looked at him, narrowing her eyes as the pressure increased on their met blades.

"Ah ain't cha enemy.. ah come from deh Tien Monastery... Lorewalker Cho sent cha word out... reinforcements beh come'n..."

She relaxed a little, pulling her weapon back and smoothing out her shirt.

"Good... but why have you come to fight against your own kind?.." she asked, looking up at him. Re'zo sighed, shaking his head. It would take too long to explain, there was so much to say, he had the pleasure of expressing everything to the whole of Tien Monastery.

"Ah tell cha all later.. right now weh need tah..." Re'zo stopped mid sentence, looking around slowly. Soon the voice drifted into his ears again.

"Cha mon... why do cha fight cha own kind?..." and with that, he could feel himself being pulled into the shadows. Infront of the Pandarian's eyes, they vanished.

Gara'jal stood before Re'zo, his arms folded, nodding gently. "So, ah see cha still all mixed up wit dat Horde...cha know it beh fall'n apart an bust'n at the seams..." Gara'jal eyed Re'zo, he wasn't used to having someone taller then he was, Re'zo remained silent "cha dinnah answer deh call of Zul... hims beh bind'n us all toget'ah, re'build'n deh mighty Troll empire...cha got ah heritage tah live up to mon, cha beh thow'n it away wit dat Vol'jin.." Re'zo bristled, wrinkling his nose and holding his tongue. Gara'jal chuckled.

"Cha holds him dear tah cha?... well.. cha gottah beh see'n dat cha Horde beh split'n.. dat Warchief cha gots now beh ah piece ah work..." Gara'jal trailed off, he could see Re'zo was unimpressed and found this all to be a waste of time. He began to walk, moving through the shadowy spirit realm unabashed, by sheer will, he was pulling Re'zo along with him, soon enough, he began to walk beside him to avoid the uncomfortable tugging of the shadows around him.

"Cha left too soon Reh'zo... cha still had much tah learn under mah teach'n.. but ah see cha learned deh Shadows fer cha self...cha ain't ah strange'ah in dis world." Re'zo's eyes had been looking here and there as they moved. Yes, he had been here before, many times while in the known world.. but here in Pandaria, the Shadows hid an invisible, physical world all its own.

"Where beh deh Sha..." he finally asked, unable to reconcile where they might be, certainly Gara'jal had not learned to control the creatures.

"Ahhhh... wit cha Horde and deh Alliance on deh shores now, cracks been form'n in deh Spirit world of Shadows.. dems littah creatures beeh look'n fer ah way out.. any way will do.. deh slip in tah dah cracks of deh world... an intah deh weak mind'ed... dey ain't gonnah waste dere time with us.. not when ah beh deh Spirit Bindah..." they faded out of the shadows and back into the real world. In the clearing he had lead them to, stood an enormous pen of Direhorns.

"Cha time wit dah Horde beh ovah. Deh Zandalari want cha tah come home." Gara'jal folded his arms, looking over the herd briefly before turning to the stunned Re'zo. He never thought that this time would come. Of course, he had mad his choice, he would stand with Vol'jin... but to be tempted like this, invited even...

"Weh been hear'n bout cha fer some time.. Reh'zo deh Red... now dat cha got cha sight back, ah suppose dat beh ah fitt'n title...ah want tah bring cha back tah us... chu mah lad, could beh ah Warbring'ah...deze beasts.. cha could take cha own, ride out.. set cha claim on cha land...Zandalari land.. we offer'n cha ah place ah'mong us..." Re'zo swallowed hard, had this offer come... years ago, he might have considered it. But after everything, and all he's seen... just then his train of thought was derailed, a massive avalanche of stone and rock began to thunder down the southern mountain cliff faces. Gara'jal slowly glanced over his shoulder to see what had taken his ex-student's attention from him.

"Zandalari scum! Prepare to feel the wrath of the earth!" A sole Orcess was riding the avalanche down the mountain, her feet planted into the stone itself, as if surfing the wave of destruction as it crashed down towards them. Gara'jal snorted, and promptly vanished, leaving Re'zo alone to face this oncoming threat. Enormous stones rained down around him, crashing into the ground, some even bouncing or rolling into the Direhorn pens, sending them into a horrified fury. They began to stampede, their massive bodies adding to the earth shaking destruction around him. He had no where to go, his grasp on shadow travel was obviously lacking, and any of his engineering toys would hardly get him out of harms way. While he rolled through his options in his head, the Orcess leapt off her cascading wave of stone, and hurled herself towards her foe. There was going to be no reasoning with her, she dove for him, her armored spiked fist flying strait for him.

All he could do, was to pull out the thick knife on his belt to defend himself, the violent clashing sound of metal on molten stone filled the air around him. The Orcess wrinkled her nose at him, growling at the sudden defense of her foe.

"Don't bother defending yourself! I'll crush your body and melt that skin off your bones before I let you best me in combat!" she pulled back the massive molten claw of her right fist, balling it again for another strike. Re'zo side stepped and slipped into the shadows.

Gara'jal was right, it was empty in here, the physical essence of the Sha was missing completely now, they must be -pouring- into the world. He moved around this woman, glancing behind him, looking for a way to exit, a way to remove himself from combat. He had been lead into a dead end, Gara'jal might have been planning to out right kill him if he did not join him. The shadows tugged at him, his time was running out, moving around and behind her, the shadows fell from his body, as he pulled the staff off his back, ready now to face her again.

"Ah ain't cha foe wo'man! Ah beh undah ordah's from Vol'jin, ah dun wanna fight cha!" He was too far from her now for her to simply punch him again, but her fist remained balled. Glaring at him, she threw it into the air, sending the earth below him erupting around him, the sheer force of it launching him up among the stones.

Re'zo... was not expecting this. He was airborne for some time, the stones rising along side him, but soon he reached the apex of this attack, and he found himself crashing back down, stone and rock colliding with his body as he landed in the small crater that was created below him.

"Fool! You think you can kill a Darkspear and wear his trophies to trick me?! I know more about the Darkspear than your kind could ever hope to! They are an honorable race, while you are a pile of worthless cowards! Hiding behind your voodoo and your Loa all empower yourselves... the Darkspear, they draw power from eachother, through honor and brotherhood!"

Re'zo pulled himself out of the hole, brushing himself off, bending down to pick up his staff.

"Cha gots it wrong gurlie... ah ain't killed no Dark'speah... ah been adopted bah dem.. ah been work'n fer Vol'jin fer ah long while now... ah ain't wut cha gottah fight ah'gainst.." he rubbed at his head, one of the falling rocks had smashed into his head, there was a small lump, but the troll regeneration was slowly working it down. The Orcess continued to glare at him, surprised that he had not counter attacked yet.

"But... you are Zandalari." she stated, lowering her fist, as she straitened herself, and narrowing her eyes in suspicion. Re'zo arched a brow at her, still feeling the sore spot on his skull throbbing.

"Gurl, cha can't jus open up mah life an jump in tah deh middle.. ah gots mah reasons.. but ah kin assure cha, dat ah beh one ah his...he gave meh deh title of Zul'Reh'zo beh fore ah left fer dis place... before den ah was.."

"Re'zo the Red Priest of Northrend. Yes, I remember your face from the posters in Dalaran.. its the goggles, they give you away." Re'zo shrugged, it was true, but he had gotten so used to them, if they weren't on, they were pushed up on his forehead.

Vol'jin gave meh title an status aftah ah joined him dur'n deh Element'al revolt...an he learned of who ah was... ah also beeh banished from Or'grimmah fer mah work wit him... an ah came here cause dere ain't no one here dat beh known'n more ah'bout deh Zandalari den ah do. Re'zo glanced over at the Direhorn herd that had thinned out, but a few remained, and have calmed down enough to begin grazing among the trampled pen they were once contained in. He looked back to her, her body still tense, unsure quite what to do next.

"An who might chu beh?.. now dat cha know ah ain't gonnah kills cha..." The Orcess folded her arms, it was obvious she had been proven 'wrong' and it seemed she didn't -like- to be proven wrong.

"Lo'ek Flameshatter." she stated bluntly, then shifted in her stance briefly.

"And I too have far more allegiance with Vol'jin than I do with Hellscream... now.." Re'zo smiled, now finally feeling comfortable. Others had come over, the hopes he and so many of the Darkspear were now growing into dissent among the others of the Horde. With luck, this would branch out into full on rebellion, how many more were with her?

Lo'ek continued.

"If you are who you -say- you are, then you know Soilhoof." Re'zo smirked and nodded, pleased that the druid had made it out of the Firelands.

"He's spoken highly of you in the past, and was unsure if you had survived the full onslaught of the Cataclysm... there are more, who feel as we do..." she paused, as if considering her next words very carefully.

"I do not trust you. You are Zandalari, no one had mentioned that the Red Priest of Northrend was anything but a troll... we all assumed it would be a Darkspear.. or a Drakkari, no other troll would have business out there... I will bring you back with me. But you will be under armed guard.. we have people who know how to fight, and we have many more people than you do." This was all true, Re'zo only had one person, himself. He nodded down to her, despite his towering size, he felt that she was far more intimidating to him than he was to her.

"All ah ask is dat we kin stop by deh Tien Monastary, ah should tell dem dat ah beh alive and well.. an will no longah beh stay'n wit dem." Lo'ek nodded briefly, it was something she could work in.

"So... chu beh part of ah group of Orcs an ah assume Elves.. Tauren.. Dark'speah...Gob'lings.. Fer'saken?... all oppose'n deh Warchief? All defect'n tah Vol'jin's side?..."

"We are a growing storm, the likes of which the Horde, nor Hellscream could have expected or dreamt about in his worst nightmares. He has pushed too many people to the brink, it is now time we push back. A Tempest is building from the depths of the Twisting Nether to put him in his place for all he has done."


	10. The Swelling Tempest

Gara'jal swam into view, the shadow realm was his world now, a world of darkness, a world of dreams, a world he had become apart of, and no longer had control of. It would be his prison until he lost his mind and form, then, it would become his grave. There was so little Sha activity now, so much had been released from the time Zul'Rezo first made contact with Pandaria's other side.

"Ah warn'd cha, ah warn'd cha all, Instead of swallow'n cha pride and join'n deh Zandalari an dere Mogu alliance, cha stood ah'gainst us. Now cha kin let cha pride consume cha, all of cha! Ahah...dah irony.. deh more cha do, dah bettah cha feel, deh stronger he beh get'n. Can't swallow dat pride? Beh prepared tah beh swallowed by his!"

Loremaster Cho sat up, his eyes wide. Had he just drifted asleep? Yes... that was his saliva atop that scroll. He wiped it away, glancing around the Seat of Knowledge, making sure no one had seen his subtle water damage to the ageless parchment. No one was looking at him, no one was even here. He stood up, wondering where the others had gone, and saw them crowded around the vast doorway. Making his way past, he finally saw what everyone else had their eyes fixated on. The pillar of shadowy destruction pouring into the world, ripping and raping the vale.

"Oh...no... Shaohao save us."

Re'zo had just had his hand slapped. He frowned and looked down to the elf beside him. Ash Stormborn glowered at him.

"No means no!"

He glanced down, it was a pert little bottom, and she made no effort to hide the thing, why on Azeroth couldn't he give it a playful grope and a slap now and again. He glanced up to her, then back down as he reached for it again. Pursing her lips, Ash once again slapped his arm away.

"Stop that! I'm suppose to be working with you, not having you feel me up." she folded her arms and glared at him, as if her eyes would bore into his skull by her will alone.

"Can't.. weh do both?.. it not like cha -ain't- been work'n wit meh.. ah dun gots cha trust yet?" Re'zo explained. Ash looked flustered.

"Tempest trusts you, I trust you, you've got a good head on those shoulders and if you'd like to -keep- it there, you'll do your self a favor and STOP TOUCHING MY BUTT!" Re'zo's hand was there again, gripping at the supple flesh of her pale rump. Ash stormed off in an angry huff, Red tilted his head, watching the feint hint of a jiggle and wiggle her backside made when she walked.

They were in the Barrens. It had become a free-for-all lawless land, where the Rebellion forces and the 'Pure' Horde fought for resources to fuel their war efforts. The 'Tempest' had been making quite a dent in the Kor'kron forces out here, much to the delight of Vol'jin. Re'zo sat back among a pile of siege machine debris, it had been some time since he was 'in' one of these. One could say that this helped shape the path his life would take; but these were philosophic thoughts, and Red was hardly a philosopher.

The Oil Fields had been purged, for now. The 'Guild' now sat on it's field of victory, mending wounds, tending to armor and weapons alike, and all-in-all celebrating another victory for the rebellion. Red's celebration seems to have stormed off in a huff, leaving him alone, which wasn't -really- so bad, it gave him more time to look among this growing force that had begun to assemble. Take Lo'ek for instance, this woman was tough and nails yet had more curves then a sphere.

Nothing would please him more then to give her backside a nice firm slap, but he was certain that it would be the last he'd see of his hand for a while. If her molten glare didn't melt it, certainly her molten fists would. He could see her now, sitting on a rock, sharpening a sword with the various rocks under her control, Banor Raeli sat beside her, relaxing under a tree. He was alright for an Elf, prickish and arrogant as all hell, but Red had come to expect that from elves, especially the male ones. This all confused him even more to see Lo'ek seeming to take pleasure in helping the self-important Elf. He had no idea what they were saying, but based on their expressions, it was some kind of flirtatious banter, and Red couldn't begin to wrap his head around how the hell it all worked between the two of them. There was -something- there, but he'd be damned if he could figure it out.

Re'zo dug around in a small pouch, pulling out a long pipe, clenching it in his teeth, he lit it, and took in a slow drag. Holding the smoke in his mouth for a few moments, he patted down his various bags, looking for his flask. He blew out the smoke, as he uncorked the flask, taking a swig. This was the life, he'd always enjoyed life as a rebel, ever since... oh when was it... yes.. back when he was in that Siege Machine, back in Ulduar. He shook his head, things are just coming full circle it seems, his eyes slid shut, as he laid back, enjoying his slowly forming buzz.

Maybe it was because he was relaxing, maybe it was because his senses were more focused with his eyes closed, but from a distance, he could hear the beats of drums pouring from Orgrimmar. Dozens and dozens of drums, beating in the same ominous beat. Something had happened, but what? Red sat up, opening his eyes, as he lifted the goggles off his face to look around at the rest of the group, who were also slowly beginning to hear the thudding rumble of battle drums. Lo'ek glanced to Re'zo, assuming he knew what was going on. She'd always been a little suspicious of him, he -was- Zandalari after all, for all she knew, he could be a spy of some sort. Vol'jin liked him well enough, which put her fears at ease when the Shadow Hunter was around, but when he wasn't...

"Red... Who's are those?" snapped Lo'ek, passing Banor back his sword as she stood up. Re'zo sat up a little higher in the rubble he was in, as if trying to see just a bit further.

"Ah beh tink'n dere come'n outtah Orgrimmah... dey sound too big fer any'ting deh Rebellion might got... plus... ah dun tink Vol'jin would storm deh gates wit all of us lounge'n ah'bout out here." Lo'ek knew he must be right, Re'zo had a way about him, flirtatious and sly of course, but honest, he spoke and acted on his heart, more so then most.

Re'zo watched the tauren stormcrow pass over head, landing within the group, he soon found Soilhoof behind him, much of him still feathered as his transformation forced him back into a mammalian form.

"Hellscream has returned from Pandaria, there are rumors that Taran Zhu is dead, and that Hellscream was the one who ended him." the druid said, plucking a feather off of his elbow. Re'zo glanced back towards the city, narrowing his eyes.

"They've locked down the city after his return...I've got no further information" Vizier finished, a worried look settling on his face.

"We have no way to communicate with Pandaria, the portal within the city was the only sustained portal-" Re'zo cut him off

"Dat deh Horde has." he said glancing back to him, Vizier nodded, smirking a little

"Yes, it is the only portal sustained by the Horde."

Re'zo pulled himself out of the rubble pile and made his way to the bat hanging upside down from the door frame of one of the refineries. A mighty gift from Vol'jin, a badge of honor among trolls, to have their own bat. This one was named Vim, Re'zo liked short names, and the letter V. He pulled his small toolbox from the saddle and opened it up. Hanging from the lid were various intricate little devices, he took a moment to select one, they all looked so similar, but this one had a flashing green light.

"Ah gots meh own way dere, I'll go gather up who evah we gots down dere, an we gonnah make our way tah Thundah Bluff..." he glanced to Lo'ek, and now watched Banor get to his feet and lift up his shield onto his back. Ash was making her way back to them as well, kicking a large oil barrel along with her, rolling before her like a sloshing herald.

"Git tah Vol'jin, er come wit meh, dun mattah tah me much.. but dis littah ting kin only take one" he waved the device with a flourish that was more common among elves then trolls.

"Git tah Stormwind... or find cha self ah Mage if cha wanna join meh out dere... we gots work tah do..." Rezo had been expecting this revolution for some years now, the idea that civil war with in the horde seemed inevitable since their alliance with the Argents. He had warned Thrall, he had taken it into himself to try and form his own rebellion... but it took the deaths of many good men, and the actions of this furious dung pile of a 'Warchief' to get anything done.

Re'zo stopped himself, his thoughts turning into an internal dialog, memories resurfacing.

Gara'jal was right, all along he was right. He saw this coming, he saw collapse, he saw the Horde tearing itself apart. If the Rebellion won.. what would that mean for the Orcs?.. If Hellscream won, what would that mean for..Azeroth?.. his rage had gotten out of control, and he thought Elves were pompous pride-stuffed assholes. Re'zo sighed out, shaking his head, bring himself back into the current crisis at hand.

Banor stood behind Lo'ek, arms crossed, as if waiting for him to just go, Loa he hated that flippant look he got from male elves, no respect. He turned his gaze away from him, glancing to Soilhoof who just now was able to sit and take a drink, Re'zo had no idea where he had been, but he was certain that there was plenty of risk to himself. Ash glanced at him now, only catching the tail end of his plan, but he could see in her face that she was quickly piecing it together.

"Ah gonnah find Loremastah Cho, an den ah gonnah get deh Tempest out here." In truth, he would have much rather gone to Vol'jin, to be one of the first to storm into Orgrimmar and knock those Kor'kron down a few solid pegs and into the ground for their role in all this. He, however, was now one of the few who could easily get to Pandaria, and if the siege was going to move in, they would need everyone. He twisted a knob on the device, and the green light flashed faster. Soon it began to flash so fast, it faded to white in a burst of illumination, and with that, Zul Re'zo was gone.

The Red Priest would once again become the pillar of justice he longed to be, in his own shadowy way.


	11. A Gathering Storm

Zul'Re'zo left the Barrens in a flash of pale green light. It wasn't until that machine actually worked that it crossed his mind that this Wormhole Generator had significant interference over the Pandaria lands. Weather it was the Mists or the Sha, he really hadn't worried about it, until now of course. He was on a mission, and he half expected himself to appear among of group of Mantid, beyond the wall.

'Appearing' had an odd sensation of having water draining into all of your orifices, soon being replaced with the crawling scatter of random insects running along every point of your body to the ground. Red's eyes were closed, he readied himself to burst into shadow at the first angry chitter of the insectoid army.

The clattering clack of the mandibles never came, instead, Re'zo heard the pleasant chirping of birds followed by a refreshing breeze. He hazarded to open one eye, and Lorewalker Cho came into view. He was muttering and seemed to be deep in meditation. Re'zo opened his other eye and glanced around, if Cho was here, it was bound to be -reasonably- safe.

The Emperor's Omen loomed over head, Vim had appeared and was now hanging upside down along it's top edge. Re'zo was beginning to wonder how he'd call the beast over, when Cho finally stopped his muttering and slowly looked over his shoulder. His look of questionable curiosity hardened when he saw who it was, narrowing his eyes into a glare. The two looked at each other for some time, Re'zo wasn't sure what to say, but he could see the seething anger in those eyes, burning with loathing hate. The Lorewalker blinked and sighed, before pulling himself up to his feet, his face softening once again.

"Ah Red...I..." he paused, as if considering his next words

"I... know it is not your fault, nor the fault of your Horde... I am... sad to see it has come to this. The Emperor has not prepared us for this.. we have endured the Sha, and with the help of out and your kind, we have even managed to push back the Sha farther then we ever could before...and for that, I thank you." Cho took Zul'Re'zo's hand in his own paws, giving it a slow, relieved shake before letting go and tightening his jaw. Re'zo was about to speak, but Cho continued.

"Your Warchief.. this.. Hellscream...he has betrayed us all... he was already expelled from the Shrine, you.. we could welcome.. but him.. and his bloodlust.. his 'Pure Horde'.. they've -defiled- the Vale...they slaughtered their way back home with that... dark heart.. you.. must stop him. No good will come of this." Cho knew Taran Zhu well, he turned away to hide his tears.

"The Zandalari were right... we should have allied ourselves with them, with Thunder King, Lei Shen, The whole of the Horde should have backed them..." Cho stopped talking, running his hand over his face, feeling the despair wash over him "no.. no... it would be the same...you all did the right thing...this...this is to be our challenge.. we were saved from the Legion to prepare ourselves, if this is to be our test, then let it be. Fear has brought me here, and I am now at peace. I do not blame you, you are my friend." he sighed out contented as he looked up to the troll. Re'zo nodded down to him, a playful smirk creeping over his face.

"Ah beh here tah gather up meh friends.. it beh true, Hellscream beh back.. hims locked down his city, an we aim tah take it back. He no longah beh our Warchief, an he nevah was mine... I assure cha Lore'walk'ah... he gonnah pay for hims crimes, ah gonnah see to it personally." Re'zo bent down and picked up at stone he had been playing with one of his toes, and pitched it at the bat in the distance. It gave a surprised screech and flared his wings out, only now realizing his rider was over there, with out another word, it dropped down, and flew to pick him up.

Zul'Re'zo pulled a leather talisman from his hair, on it was the Crest of the Tempest, the pair of Lightning Bolts heralding the coming storm.

"Have cha seen anyone 'round wit one ah deeze on dem?.. or on dem chest?" Re'zo was aware many of his teammates had been wearing the tabard, but it really didn't match anything he wore, savage troll or not, he -had- to match. Cho thought a moment, relieved that a friend appeared when he did.

"West, I believe there were some in the Tavern in the Mist... talking with that.. Dragon fellow.." Cho thought a moment, looking away as he gathered the chaos of thoughts that tumbled through his head, the historical facts rolling through his brain, he glanced back to Re'zo.

"I.. do not trust him.. but he has yet to raise his hand to any one... please.. be careful." With an agreeable nod, Zul'Re'zo lifted off, in truth, he didn't care for the Dragon Prince either, there was a distrustful nature about him he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Lexx Raeli sat at a table, prodding her knife blade into it's worn wooden surface. Why in the name of Azeroth had he fallen in with an Orc. There were -plenty- of maidens back home, good -Elven- maidens, most if not all of them eager to bring a soldier into the family. She sighed, no, of course it had to be like this, how could she have hoped for anything else. She left the knife imbedded into the table rubbing at her temples with one slender hand.

She hadn't come here to think about this, she had come with Tzu Brewskee, who had business with the Prince. In truth, many Pandarians had business with the Prince. He seemed to come out of no where, and seemed to have -everyone's- best interest at heart. He was a 'Man of the People,' but of course, who were the people? Friends? Foes? Mortals? Gods? Its not that the Pandaria culture had made them distrustful, but a man on everyone's side, is on no one's side. Lexx had tagged along to simply peek into the Black Market that had sprung up beside the tavern, but much to her displeasure, there was nothing of interest, and now Tzu was knee deep in conversations that were not likely to end soon.

"Now ya see my good Chap, you put your beers in this here Demon Wood, and you'll have something worth throw'n at you're enemies! Hurling them barrels around like your some kind of gorilla ain't gonna cut it, you sir, are a man who needs the very best to keep his foes in check!" beamed Krix.

Krix Coffincrush, was a rather new addition to the 'guild,' a mortician by trade, the goblin joined up with a casket on his back full of various demon parts. He swore up and down that the wood he used helped to keep the fel energies in check, and often tried to encourage others to do the same, for a price of course.

Tzu was considering it, his thick fingers rubbing at his chin, sitting comfortably on one of his barrels. He -could- get some of this fancy wood, and it might just work as well as the goblin said it would, he could indeed make himself more impressive with the warlock's help. The Black Prince sat between them at the table they shared, his chin on his palms, his hands on his cheeks, wide eyed like a kid who's just been given a fire breathing bicycle, a small grin on his face. He did -love- to listen to people talk, he could learn -so- much.

Ducking through the doorway, Red peeked in, Lexx glanced up at him, her back was to the door and she forced herself not to roll her eyes. He hadn't flirted with her, and she wanted to keep it that way. Seemed he'd been making the rounds, Viuna was complaining about it just a few days ago. He brows wrinkled at his expression though, she'd not seen him look so serious when he didn't have a bottle of snake wine in his hand.

"Whats wrong Red?" she questioned, turning herself in her seat, sheathing the knife that she'd been stabbing the table with. He voice broke Tzu out of his concentrated thought, his small eyes turning to look over the troll. Krix continued to talk, selling his wears to those who would listen, all the while, the Prince remained motionless, save for his eyes that swiveled immediately to Red as he appeared in the doorway.

"Hellscream beh back in Orgirmmah.. him's done a nasty piece ah work out in deh Vale... if cha ain't seen it... or felt it.. won't beh long beh for cha do." he said, eyeing the Prince, who pleasantly stared back at him through delighted eyes. Everyone seemed to be in shock, Tzu and Lexx turned to look at one another, Krix finally realized the room had gone quiet, and was rewinding the conversation that had just happened through is head.

"Wait... what now? Are you... Mobilizing us?" asked Krix after some consideration, his thick brow arched over his beady eye. Peace was good for profits... but... War was also good for profits! He pushed his chair back from the table before hopping down to find and gather his supplies.

"I won't be long! Let me get my wares!" he grinned as he hoisted the small casket over his shoulder.

The Black Prince just signed, a satisfied look on his face as he lifted his face from his palms.

"Well this is all going faster then I would have expected. But! No matter.. if you'll all excuse me, you have business to attend to I believe" with that, he stood up, nodding politely to the four of them, before making his way up the stairs, his guards soon moving to block the stairwell with their bodies.

Zul'Re'zo, Tzu and Lexx all looked to one another, before looking to the stairs, the armored Worgen just folded his arms, letting them look.

"Well... okay den... " Red mumbled shaking his head. That 'Prince' knew something, and he has yet to be forth coming with any information. He's lead them all around, pushed them answering his questions and playing his games. Wrathion knew what was happening, as if he'd been expecting it, waiting for it, planning for it. Re'zo shook his head, there wasn't time to follow that threat right now.

"Loekee and ah few oth'ahs be down at Razah Hill, fort'ify'n deh palce up... looks like deh Reve'lution has come." Zul'Re'zo couldn't help but grin. This was a long time coming, he'd tried to open the eyes of the Horde before, but it had been too early, they weren't ready to see. Garrosh Hellscream had forced them to look, to see, and to choose. Many, chose the path of Thrall, and of Vol'Jin, a fact that warmed his heart, honor was on their side.

Like a swift breeze, Lexx was gone, she was swift on her feet and even swifter to arms. Not to mention her son was already on the battle field and probably hip-to-hip with the Orcess. It's not that she disapproved of her, she just though Banor could do better.

Krix was still gathering his things as Tzu rose off his barrel, before swinging the massive thing onto his back, the ale inside sloshing loudly.

"Chen is there?"

Re'zo nodded, now watching Krix, wondering if he needed help with all this... stuff

"Hmm... I came to the Horde, because of their honor, their pride...it seems I have made the right choice, Chen is a good man, and he calls your kind, friend."

Tzu patted Re'zo on the shoulder as he made his way out the door.

"Let us, go to War."


	12. Gale Force

Zul'Re'zo watched them go. Each of them in turn lifted off, either on their own mount, or on a kite provided by Shin the Weightless, who at the moment was verifying that the coins the Goblin gave him were in fact, real. Seems he's had issues with goblins in the past Re'zo mused, smiling to himself. The group had their instructions, fly to the Shrine of Two moons, and round up anyone they could find who was loyal to... well he might as well just start calling it the 'Tempest.' They weren't -the- revolutionaries, but they were -of- the revolutionaries. The guild had ties to the uprising, and were eager to join in, and help Vol'Jin dethrone Hellscream. They still were, however, a separate entity.

Once they had gathered who they could find, they were to hop a portal to Thunderbluff, taking the path to Orgrimmar itself was hugely risky, and once it was discovered that the revolutionaries were using the portal, it would soon be the sight of some kind of meat grinder, that would graciously accept anyone teleporting into it. Once in Thunderbluff, gather their supplies, and head to Razor Hill to meet up with the others. Red knew that there were more... guildmates, out here. The Druids had work in Kun-lai, he knew he could find a few of them out there. Re'zo was thinking, as he thought, he made his way back to Vim, counting off on his fingers who he knew for a fact would not be in the Shrine of Two Moons for Tzu to round up.

CRACK.

Re'zo winced, stopping his walk and rubbing his jaw. What in the fel was that? He glanced around, figuring he must have walked into a tree branch or something. His walkway was clear, the clouds drifted pleasantly over head, with out any tree with in any sort of range to hit him. Yet, his jaw still hurt. He rubbed it again, shifting it back and forth as his eyes now looked for some small bird or bug that might have collided with him.

THUD.

Re'zo staggered back again, hunched over now, holding his forehead. Something had -defiantly- hit him this time. He pulled his hand away and looked into his palm, no blood. He placed his hand back onto his forehead, rubbing at it. He found himself scouring the ground with his eyes, looking for a stone or something, anything that could have hit him. Oh Loa that stung, he found himself rubbing his head harder, trying to help the pain to subside, but still, he could find nothing of any substantial size that could have hit him that hard.

Slowly, he stood more erect, which is saying something for a troll. Re'zo pushed his shoulders back, stretching his spine and to get a taller view, Red was already nearly eight feet tall while he was slightly hunched, erecting himself gave him just that much more vantage to look around.

CRUNCH.

"Ah! Blood'ay Muth'ah ah Hir'eek!" Re'zo cried out, his hands cupping over his nose, his eyes wincing shut as he could now feel blood slowly oozing out of one nostril.

"nngh... Holy Fook'n Ford'ring...dat hurts.." he tilted his head up, pinching his nose, muttering other obscenities, many of which have no good translation from the Zandari language. He stood like that for some time, during which, no other attacks had found their way into his head. Slowly, he tilted his head back down and released his nose, feeling that the blood had coagulated and his wound was already beginning to heal. At the edge of his vision, he noticed something that wasn't there before, allowing his eyes to focus on it now... it was a Gnome.

Zul'Re'zo narrowed his eyes on the diminutive fighter, it was fully equip in Shado-Pan garb, down to the helmet and thick bamboo bo staff. It leaned on the staff, the wide brim of the helmet, covering their face and most of their torso, as it waited for Re'zo to retaliate.

"Ngh.. shadows of Beth'eek I don' have -TIME- fer dis!" he muttered, pulling his eyes away from the Gnome to dig into one of his engineering bags, certainly he must have something to distract them.

"AIIIIiiiee Aha!" the Gnome cried out, Re'zo looked up to see it flying at him, it's bamboo staff outstretched in front of them. The staff slammed into this bag, and the bag into him, pushing his stomach backwards as his head and shoulders lurched forward. To avoid falling over completely, he sank to his knees and dropped his bag.

Tumbling from that bag, a gold plated machine rolled out besides the Gnome. It looked towards it as it rolled, then stopped. Slowly, the machine began to open itself, then stand. It stood no taller then the Gnome, and on it's face was a delightful pleasant grin. The Gnome looked to Re'zo, then back to the Blingtron as it remained standing beside them, the smile now becoming more creepy as it remained unchanged, staring at them both.

"Mazel Tov!" he chimed out in a robotic voice, before reaching into it's pockets and then throwing out hand fulls of coins and gems. Re'zo groaned, of all the things to come to his aid, fook'n Blingtron. Red remained sitting, fallen prone by the unexpected attacker, his arms behind him, holding himself up, now more focused, waiting for the Gnome's next move. The Gnome snorted, and finally looked at him, a brow raised in obvious confusion to what she's looking at. Blingtron continued to throw out coins as if it was rice at a wedding, the creepy, grinning, doll-like face never once changing as it proudly dispensed his riches to the lucky mortals.

Re'zo hadn't noticed his attacker was even female, but now that her head was tilted up, and the wide helmet brim was no longer hiding her stout curves, and the exposed cleavage. She leaned on her staff, watching him while her other hand pulled the cloth mask down from over her mouth and nose. She spoke to him, but it wasn't in a language he could understand, he sighed and made his way to his feet.

"Now littah miss.. ah dun have time tah play round wit chus.." he glanced at Bling, he could stay here, he'd teleport himself back soon enough. He rubbed at his stomach again, where she had impacted him last and he shot her a glare. She remained unphased, simply watching him now with mild curiosity.

"Dat's fine, cha jus stay dere..." rolling his shoulders as he walked, he shook his head, crazy Alliance getting in his way. This was Civil War! He hardly at the time to deal with regular war right now, the Alliance wasn't going anywhere, he could get back to them later.

"Oy! Huthuthut ha!" she cried out again, launching herself at him from behind. Re'zo was ready for this, if she was going to attack him unprovoked, she'd attack him when his back was turned. Red whipped himself around, grabbing at her staff as she thrust it at him, and catching her in mid thrust. Blinking with wide eyes, the Gnome lost all her momentum, and found herself dangling off her own staff as the massive Troll held it in one hand.

"Go ah'way... ah ain't go time tah fight cha right now littah one!" Re'zo watched her release the staff, falling silently to her tiny feet, before launching herself at him again, grappling at his belt with one hand, her other hand drove a series of punches into his liver.

"Augh! I need dat fer drink'n!" he grumbled out, tossing her staff aside and now reaching down to grab a hold of her shirt, pulling and finally tugging her off himself, letting her hang in front of him, at arms length, from the back of her shirt.

"Lis'en... ah ain't got time tah fight cha... shit beh go'n down, an ah need tah get mah people tah'gether. Now.. cha a cute littah wo'man.. ah kin see dat cha like tah show off dem gurls" his eyes found themselves looking into the cleavage that presented itself as she hung in front of him, but with in moments, his eyes shot back up to hers

"But ah dun got time tah deal wit chus right now..." he winced a little, he'd feel this all tomorrow, many various tiny bruises all over his torso from those solid little fists. Trolls healed well, but deep muscle pain was still deep. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her bo staff laying on the ground, he gently tossed her in another direction, as he turned to resume his mission.

"Tree... two... one..." he counted under his breath before turning around again and fading into the shadows in one swift movement. His hand shot up, calling up tendrils from the void that wrapped and coiled around the Gnome's wrists and ankles as she stood behind him, her staff had been wrenched from her hands by another eager tendril, doing it's best to heed it's master's wishes. Re'zo's face swam into view, the shadows boiling around him like black fire, his goggles glowing bright red in the darkness that had suddenly encroached upon them. The Gnome looked on wide eyed, horrified at the face before her. She thought he was some kind of priest, but now she could see he must be a warlock!

Re'zo sighed, the shadows melting off him, though the Gnome remained bound, the tendrils keeping her in place as he paced for a moment. Finally, he made his way back to her, folding his arms and looking down his slightly crooked nose.

"Wut do cha want from meh? Ah got no'ting tah give cha right now, if cha want tah fight meh, cha gonnah have tah wait." he faded back, the shadows melting off him.

"Look." he crouched down in front of her, letting the tendrils hold her, to make sure he didn't get another blow to the head.

"chu, go." he pointed to her, then he pointed behind her.

"meh, go" he pointed to himself, he then pointed behind himself.

"No more of dis beat'n meh on deh head gar'bage, Deh Darkspear beh need'n all deh help dey kin git now, an ah try'n tah git it to dem." he sighed out again, resting his arms on his thighs as he watched her eyes slowly recognize a few words, her mind piecing things together.

"Darkspear. Vol'jin." she managed to say, them smiling wide, nodding at him. Re'zo arched his brow, still watcing her, then nodding.

"Cha...ah beh wit deh Darkspear and Vol'Jin..." he responded

"Zandalari?" she asked, now looking him over. Re'zo shrugged, then nodded, but pointed to the badge Vol'Jin had given him when he made Re'zo a Zul.

"Cha, ah beh ah Zandalari, but ah wit deh Darkspear now..." he said slowly, hoping she understood him better then he understood her, which was not at all, crazy gnome speak. Her eyes lit up, she then sighed with relief, struggling ever so slightly to show that she was ready to be let go now. Warily, Red obliged, half expecting another crack to the skull, but instead, she lowered the staff, then sheathed it onto her back.

"Twila Clankcraft." she said smiling, now taking off her Shado-Pan helmet, exposing the massive green hair buns she'd kept beneath it. Re'zo looked her over, still crouching down, even so, he was still taller then she was. She was fit, that's for sure, but still had curves in all the right places, she was much like a goblin in some respects, though her fingers lacked the sharpened nails, which was a relief with how many times those hands had inflicted pain on him. He stood up.

"Well den... pleasure tah meet cha, Twi'lah.. buts ah gots tah git go'n.. stuff tah do.. Civil war an deh like..." Re'zo wasn't quite sure what to do next, so he just turned and began to shuffle off.

He was proud of his bat, there weren't many trolls that flew bats anymore, but it seems Vol'Jin knew the old jungle customs when it came to promotions. Only problem was, Vim seemed to go out of his way to find the darkest, most hidden location to roost. It was of course, understandable for a bat to do this, but incredibly annoying when you were ready to ride it again.

Re'zo stood, looking here and there, hoping to find the damned roost the bat had set up for himself, when he felt a tug at his robe, looking down, there was Twila, leaning on her staff, smiling up at him. Was this a trap? Had he taken some kind of bait? He glanced around, perfect, more monks... or maybe a rogue. Shadra. He did not -need- this right now... he glanced down to the Gnome again, her bright eyes still watching him.

"So... cha come'n wit meh den?.." he asked, giving a little 'come along' gesture. With that, Twila, gripped onto his robes and scrambled up his towering figure, before perching herself on his shoulder, then pointing dramatically towards a clutch of trees, where she could see the ugly bat hanging upside down, trying to get some decent sleep. Red lifted off his goggles, squinting. Oh. So he was there. His eyes rolled up, looking at the goggles, then left them on his forehead, he then glanced onto his shoulder where the Gnome sat happily, giving him a friendly wave.

"Loa help me if she beh tink'n ah'm her prisoner." Re'zo shook his head as he made his way to Vim, who after being discovered, stretched out his wings and gave a disapproving screech.

"Cha cha... chu an meh both mon.." Red mumbled, saddling himself onto the creature as arched himself to let his master mount him.

Vim's wings beat against the ground, pushing them into the air. The chain reigns rattled as they gained elevation. By now, the others had gathered who they could find, and got themselves to Thunderbluff, he would have been right behind them had it not been for this little distraction. He glanced at Twila, who was now climbing down, realizing that while airborne, shoulders were not adorable perches for one's self. She dropped onto the saddle in front him, her tiny hands gripping the chain tightly to make sure she didn't fall. Well, there could be worse companions, at least she was small and there for portable.

The sound he heard next, could only be describes as silence. It wasn't just the lack of noise, it was as if all noise had been forcibly removed, at gun point, and locked away. The sound was alien, no birds, no rustling leaves, and when Zul'Re'zo finally crested the last mountain, he could see why. Desolation lay before him, the shadowy ruins of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms steamed and broiled with the destructive Sha energies. Twila peeked around his arms, wondering why they were no longer moving and let out a gasp. She leaned back slowly, as if in absolute shock, the glanced a glare up to Re'zo. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Dun look at meh toots, ah dinnah do it, Hellscream." he said, knowing full well the Gnome, at best, only understood half the words.

"Hellscream?...Hellscream." she looked back, nodding in defiance. One hand released the chains as they floated there, reaching over to pat at his large hand, as if to comfort him. Red smirked.

"Jus as long as cha dun keep try'n tah kill meh... cha kin stick wit meh.. an dun cha call any of cha Alliance on meh neither." Re'zo watched her in front of him, hoping at least she could understand the tone of his voice. Twila nodded once, then looked back to the Troll.

He certainly wasn't what she expected, she had seen a troop of Horde lifting off, for reasons she couldn't begin to know, but Horde were Horde. Of course she knew there was a growing rebellion, she had actually been one of the many out helping gather supplies for Vol'Jin, and with that, she had picked up a few words of troll here and there. In truth, she understood more or what Re'zo said then he realized, but it's always safest to play dumb sometimes. When your enemy had captured you, was one of those good times.

She had expected brutish, stubborn and cruel. Zul'Re'zo was none of those things, he even smelled nice, for a troll anyways. Not that she had smelled any herself, she just expected them to smell more of blood and feet for some reason. No, Big Red was okay in her book, and if he was going after Hellscream, why shouldn't she join in? Besides, she doesn't get those kinds of looks often, and that made her smile, it encouraged her to puff out her chest, bursting with pride for of feminine assets. Re'zo kicked his heels into Vim, pressing him forward once he got a satisfactory response from his new little friend. With luck, she'd stick with him, and no one would try to kill her. With out luck, well... she could certainly do a number on them if they chose to not trust his judgment.


	13. Encroaching Darkness

Twila was a delightful passenger, to say the least. The little gnome had gladly put her faith in her new found friend, letting him guide their flight over the now shattered Vale. However, the deeper into the broken land they traveled, the louder the whispers became. They snuck in, from beyond the audible range, and slowly into a chattering echo. Zul Re'zo winced a little, this was wrong, and it was bad. He glanced down at this diminutive passenger, seeing only the top of her Shado Pan helmet and her exposed cleavage. He sighed out

"Well toots... ah tink ah bettah let cha go sooner rah'thah den later... tings.. ain't what I expected.." Twila looked up at him, affronted and glowered at him. He looked back down to her apologetically, nothing against -her- of course, he liked the little gnome, reminded him of Munia or Electra. His mind had drifted off now, he'd been gone so long, unable to communicate, certainly Munia had moved on, he grimaced and looked back down to the gnome as they hovered, the bat slowly growing impatient.

Twila knew that look, it was the look of someone not wanting to drag her into their own problems and she smiled warmly up at him as she began to get to her feet. Now standing on the back of the bat, she turned to face the troll behind her. She patted his arm, gave him a small kiss on the tip of his beaky nose, and in a flash, faded into a green spirit of herself that slowly dissolved away moments later.

Red sighed, another woman torn from his life, but at least she knows enough to get her people to Orgrimmar, this isn't going to be something the rebellion can do alone, especially not if the whispers in his head continue.

And they continued, and grew.

The whispers merged, the voices combined, but still nothing was being communicated in a way Red could possibly understand. It was mind numbing, in every sense of the phase. Re'zo was forced to land, sending Vim down to the ruined earth. The smoking ruins of once rich, lush soil, now ashen and crumbling beneath his feet as he stepped off the bat. The pangs of noise in his head, was making his skull scream in pain now, and trying to stay mounted was out of the question. He staggered and leaned against the base of a corrupted tree, the wood itself felt like cold charcoal now, burned and distorted by the unleashed corruption. The pain was incredible now, was it this place? Was it the Sha?... he gazed out now, scanning the land, as if expecting to see someone causing this, doing this to him. He knew full well Hellscream was to blame for this catastrophe, but these voices.. he hadn't heard anything like this in... nearly four years?... realization dawned on him as he snapped his head back to look at the broken and disfigured Pool of Power.

Sha energy pulsed and twisted from it, spiraling skyward, smoldering it's cold energy as it sank into the land, stretching and expanding, devouring the once pristine Vale. The rumors being flooding back to him, the excavations, the searches, the... Re'zo blinked. An Old God had awoken, it called to him, it was feeling Yogg Saron's touch, it was calling to it's kin, the shred of the influence left behind. The screaming whispers no longer mattered, he ignored them while h is brain began to think back, when had he last had any of his snake wine 'medicine'? Oh Loa... this was bad, this was very, VERY bad.

Zul Re'zo swallowed hard, what would happen? Would he be taken over? Would he betray everything he'd built up within himself from that day? He couldn't let it happen, but did he have a choice? While he stood there, among the ruins and she amalgamations of Sha scouring the land for anything to infect, another part of his mind finally made it's way through the insanity that began to wash over him again. He was still here, having this conversation with himself. This, of course, meant two things. One, the Old God might not be here anymore. If not here, then where?

Orgrimmar. Re'zo closed his eyes and shook his head, this would be a dark day for the Horde, and his friends, they were all there... Oh Loa, the rebellion? Did they know? Did they -really- know that in the heart of the city an Old God waited for them? His mind began to slip into the frantic insanity once again.

Before the insanity could grip a hold of him, that part of his mind came back to him, with the second meaning. Two, you're still having this conversation with yourself, so if the Old God IS going to take you, it's doing a lousy job of it.

Re'zo's eyes came back into focus, he tore his gaze away from the corrupted pool, and once again began to scan the defiled Vale. The voiced continued in his head, but he now understood what they were trying to do, he cracked his knuckles. The Sha were all connected, they were different parts of the same creature, and were linked to this Old God, an awakened Old God. Re'zo took a deep breath and collapsed himself into shadow, dropping into a state of dispersion and sinking into the land.

This was where Gara'jal had been hiding, the root of the shadow energy and the home of the Sha. He could feel their influence tearing at him, pulling and warping his mind this way and that. It was almost impossible to see in this shadow realm, he remembered when it was so empty just a few weeks ago, and now, the entire environment was alive and flourishing. Whatever Hellscream had done, had empowered these creatures, given them a strength they had been denied for so many centuries, and now he was among them, and still, his mind remained focused. He had one goal, and no lure of power could pull him from it. This was not something he could do alone.

With that claim ringing in his mind, he could feel the encroaching Sha oozing away, the pressure around his body was releasing itself, as if every muscle in his body was beginning to relax at once. Re'zo sighed out, or did he? He certainly wasn't breathing in here, but, old habits die hard. With that under control, he could resume his work.

Sha is an incorrigible creature, once you feel you have freed yourself from one burden, another takes hold of you. Zul Re'zo may have beaten back his pride, but now, the pleasure of that freedom, send a surging wave through the environment of shadow, arrogance. He could feel the world collapse on him once again, crushing around his body, the whispers in his mind, taking hold of that arrogant pleasure and twisting it, shaping it, using it.

No.

Zul Re'zo had no idea how deep he was in the earth, or if he was deep at all, but one thing came to mind as a saving grace. He had to get out, and he had to get out now, and this crushing shadow wasn't going to let him go under his own strength, which was exactly why an engineer might have Nirto Boosts on his belt.

Viuna Ursaclaw, was a bear. She wasn't always a bear, but she was a bear today, at least, for now she was. In front of her, was a Yaungol, well, it was many Yaungol, but this one in particular was the one she was interested in at the time, this was the one she was keeping busy while the others came to help. No one had every interrupted an Ordos Ceremony, and the fact that a bear was here on it's own... and who was that? Xuen? He had no business here? It didn't matter anyways, the two beasts were destroying the Yaungol before they could put too much thought into it. The one that -was- thinking about it, soon got an arrow in face, and he collapsed atop of his dying brethren.

Goh'jin Spearsticker ambled over a toppled cart of oil, the fluid gently oozing over the hardened earth. The Qou, the Tiger-shaped spirit beast made its way back to it's master, giving the bear a brief nod as it passed, then threw itself against the troll's legs, rubbing against him affectionately before turning back to feast on his kills. Viuna snorted at the piles of dead Yaungol, rolling her shoulders as she stood up, slowly the hair receding back into her skin, leaving a shorter, softer hair. The massive bear maw soon reverted back into the pleasant tauren face she had grown to love. She wrinkled her nose again, she could handle being a ferocious animal. She had no problem killing anyone or anything for the right cause, but the smell was never something you got used to, and that smell always got a little worse when there was a tiger eating it.

Pressing his foot against one of the fallen beasts, Goh'jin removed an arrow, they were valuable, didn't want to have to replace them if he didn't -have- to. Bloodstains just proved that they were deadly, and there's always the added bonus that if his first shot didn't kill the target, someone else's blood might. He glanced to Viuna, arching a brow

"Ja gonnah need ah bucket? Ja look likes ja gonnah beh sick" he asked, pulling out another arrow with the familiar wet squelch of ripping tendons. Viuna winced, blessed Earthmother, why must the insides of creatures be so.. gross? She took a few steps back, turning away and leaning on a tree to catch her breath.

The tree shifted.

"If you must vomit... might I ask you to do it against another tree?" Eldt Orothron stood, arms folded, the woody bark slowly reabsorbing into his body, the thick tree roots at his base becoming more obvious hooves. Viuna blinked, then looked up at Eldt as he tilted his head, his horns still adorned with various branches and leaves as he continued to transform.

"Oh...*urp* sorry Eldt...I.. didn't realize you were -this- tree" she shifted away, her hands on her knees as she took in a few more deep breaths. Eldt pulled his hoof out of the earth, the roots shrinking back into it's base.

"I'm surprised, you and Goh'jin would have been slaughtered long ago had I not been -this- tree" he said with a proud smirk. Qou looked up from his meal, chewing a few times as he listened, watching Goh'jin approaching the two tauren.. The three of them looked over the battlefield, satisfied with their own work. Goh'jin leaned on Eldt, as if he was still a tree, eyeing a odd looking.. object. The best way to describe it was a senser. It was glowing red and gently smoking.

"Sho... who ja tink dis 'Ordos' beh?.. deeze Yaungol seem tah treat him like some sortah God..." Goh'jin twirled it in his hand, watching the smoke drift around slowly. Eldt shrugged, idly watching him as he leaned against his shoulder.

Qou lifted his blood soaked maw out of a Yaungol carcass, something on the air had caught his scent. Letting his companions continue their conversations, there was something that warranted his investigations. He padded past them, sniffing at the earth, his eyes narrowing at the corrupted patch of Sha infested land before him. The spirit beast sat down at the edge of the defiled land, as if it was a pool of water. His eyes scanned over it, his large, flat nose twitching as he sniffed over it. His eyes tilted up, watching the sha beasts scrambling about hungerly, seeking out something to corrupt.

"Bluuuuuh!"

Qou's front crouched down as his back haunched up, his eyes narrowing at the place the sound erupted from. A hand reached up from the she poisoned earth, dripping in the dark fluids that propelled the sha themselves. Following that hand, was an arm, and it slapped itself down on the clean earth, just in front of the Spirit Beast that was now backing away from the creature as it's head reared up from the corrupted surface. The enormous maw of the sha beast swung around, no eyes to see where it was, no nose to smell the air around it, just a gaping mouth, eager to consume and to infect. It's other arm slid out of the earth, slapping down on the earth beside it's other, as it pulled itself from the depths, drawing himself closer to Qou. It took the Spirit beast a few moments, before his mind finally reasserted itself as a predator. The tiger gave out a bellowing roar, alerting it's master.

Goh'jin nearly dropped the Ordos censer as he heard his companion call for help. Viuna looked up from where she was still doubled over from the reek of the slaughter, Eldt just slowly turned. All three of them now watched as the Sha beast fully emerge before the tiger, and stood there. They weren't sure what to do about it, none of them had ever seen a sha with legs. Goh'jin tentatively pulled back an arrow, taking aim, waiting.

"Burgluhhhh!" it shouted at them as it began to dig its hands into itself, and began to rip away hunks of itself, splattering them onto the ground. It was trying to reform, to patch the holes, but it was quickly losing ground, shades of blue and red could be seen beneath the corrupted hide as it hurled another glob of the beast past the trio. Finally it gripped a hold of it's maw, and began to force it open,one hand pulling the lower jaw down, the other hand, ripping and tearing the top up. From within it's mouth, a pair of glowing red orbs glowed from beneath the blackened flesh. With another muffled word, only translating as 'bluburgle' the corruption burst off, sending the cold, moist remains of the sha scattering over the landscape, leaving Zul Re'zo in it's place.

All they could do is stare, Viuna blinked, brushing a glob of sha off her thigh, Goh'jin gently lowered his bow, Edlt leaned forward, narrowing his eyes to look over the new arrival.

"Red?... what are you doing here? Where did you leave Ash?..."rumbled the tauren, a brow raising in concern. Re'zo's brows knitted

"Wut?.. ah crawl outtah ah pool of Sha an dat first ting cha gottah ask meh how cha crush is? Ah dunno! She's back in Durotah! Where cha all outght tah beh!" Re'zo clenched his jaw wincing a little, as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose, then he exhaled slowly.

"Ah dun mean tah beh short... deh place has dat effect." he kicked a rock into the defiled lands, a sha haunt perked up, sensing there was something nearby that needed it's touch, it began to slither itself over. Eldt was already blushing a little, it was true, he did have a small flame burning for the Bloodelf that had been watching over Re'zo, but it had never been anything someone had said out loud. The fact Re'zo had picked it up both infuriated him, and caused him to become even more shy about the tender subject, as his blush spread to his ears.

The sha haunt looked up at Red from the blackened, and stained ground. It's primeval senses picking up that he had once been of them, within them. It tilted it's maw, since it had no actual head to tilt in curiosity, and watched him take a few more steps towards the other beings, it could tell immediately that he was no longer standing on the sha-touched earth. It was... independent?

Red turned his attentions to Viuna, he knew her fairly well, she was one of the few people who returned his flirting, of which he enjoyed up until he discovered that she had been seeing Blackhoof for some time now, and that he did not wish to have another encounter with the delightfully monstrous bull.

"Git tah Orgrimmah. Now."


	14. Thunderclap

_How far will this go?_

Vol'jin's brow knitted, his eyes had been fixed on the Skybreaker for some time now, but his gaze turned away, now looking at the Gates of Orgrimmar, and the massive Iron Juggernaut before them. The monstrous metal scorpion was set to guard against his onslaught of rebels, and to protect the southern entrance to the city. Vol'jin had not moved since emerging from the canyon with his now vast force. Sylvannas had ordered her armies in first, and the enormous war machine was covered in Forsaken by now, slowly dismembering it like only they know how to do.

Vol'jin looked east, the Blood Elves had made land fall, and were dealing with the Dragonmaw barricade, carving out a safe place for the Alliance fleet to land themselves. His gaze lingered on the approaching flotilla, how far will this go? He couldn't help but think back to when he and Re'zo first spoke, when the shadow walker recalled his fears and concerns for the actions of the Argent Crusade and their Alliance founders. It was true of course, all of it. The Alliance had all the key spots within what was suppose to be a 'joint' effort. Horde troops were pawns and fodder for much of the Lich King's army.

One might say that now, the tables were turned, that the Horde held all the power now, and the Alliance were the pawns, but this would be untrue. The Horde is split, with one side fighting the other, the Alliance only would have to storm this beach, rush at him and his gathered forces, stopping out half of their perceived threat. Many of the Alliance had been helping aid him for some time, under cover of darkness or through his patrols around Razor Hill, they were given safe passage. Why would they help only to turn on us now? His eyes gazed back up to the Skybreaker, pride of the Alliance, Slayer of Deathwing. It had seen it all, and it was still as imposing as ever.

"How far will dis go?" he finally said, speaking more to himself after mulling it over in his head for some time. Chen Stormstout seemed to be the only one who heard him, and could only offer an unhelpful shrug. He turned now, looking back over the amassed forces, summoned and called to fight for him, with him and to reclaim the Horde. Vol'jin sighed, now would be one of those times for an inspiring speech. He could see much of the group calling themselves the 'Tempest' off to the west, they stood as one group, slightly apart from the others, many of them proudly wearing his likeness. Lo'ek had determined it would be a way to honor the troll if her and her people dawned his warpaint, giving themselves the bright white skull they'd begun to recognize as Vol'jin's 'War Face'. He smiled briefly to them, nodding his thanks and approval.

Lo'ek beamed inside, she had assembled a fighting force, one that could stand on it's own, and in time, be recognized for their efforts. However, their efforts were just beginning to become difficult. The western arm of the army had given their allegiance to the Tempest, the storm that would roll through Orgrimmar and reclaim the city for the rightful Horde. This western arm, had it's own job to do, and it was held by one of the few orcs in the Rebellion, Ty'Oris Wreckstorm. Ty'Oris had in his hands, a long iron box. Around the box, was a thick chain, and a old, worn and slightly abused padlock. The contents of this box was intrusted to him, and he would have to make sure it was done.

Vizier Soilhoof was already eying it warily, it's not that he thought Ty'Oris might defect back to his kinsmen in Orgrimmar, but he had been one of the loudest voices to protest this... in his opinion, 'absolutely insane plan that's bound to kill us all.' He sighed out as he shuffled a few inches away from the orc and his box, whats done was done, he was here, and he'd have to hope things didn't go wrong.. for all of them.

Vol'jin glanced up to the flat clifftops of the canyon, Troll Batriders and Pandarian Kitesmen lined it's rim, all of them ready to ride up on the warm air of the Durotar plains and plunge themselves into the heart of the Valley of Strength. Beneath them, still pouring from the canyon itself was his own mass of war machines, most of them piloted by goblins. The Bilgewater Cartel was the last to join his revolution, they had helped Hellscream so many times over the past few months, he was where the money was. Many goblins were -still- in his employment, most of the Cartel couldn't blame them, or hold it against them. They, however, came to realize what good is money if you're dead? Or worse, vermin. Goblins weren't known for their pride or self worth, but after socializing within the Horde, outside of their usually 'comfort levels' it was growing. Hellscream treated them badly, and quite literally gave them slums to call home once he so graciously took them in.

Vol'jin took a deep breath "Friends!.. Many of cha have come here, an ah tank cha.." he pursed his lips, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. The massive crowd, that could now rightfully be called an army, hushed.

"Ah ain't one tah wage war... dat ain't what ah joined deh Horde for... I... " he stopped, thinking a moment, his eyes looking over the mass of people.

"We...joined deh Horde tah help one ah noth'ah, through deh hard times, wut some needed, otha's had... wut some had, otha's needed. Thrall needed mah help, an ah gave it...Carine needed our help, an we gave it... Sylvannas... she needed help...it was given...Lor'themar...Gallywix...Ji.. and the Huojin.. all of us needed help... an so... we came tah'gether...dis ain't ah 'pure' Horde, but it is OUR Horde... for every ting deh horde has done fah chu, Hellscream done gone take it away! Break'n an splitt'n an smash'n us all ah'part...dis ain't about honor, dis ain't about glory..." Vol'jin's eyes shifted to look to Chen, rolling the next phrase around in his mouth a few times before looking back to the mass of people. It's not that the word was unfamiliar, it's just never been one he'd ever think he'd need to use in this context, and deep down, it pained him that he had to

"...Dis beh about Justice...we want our Horde... deh Horde we built... deh Horde we stand for..." he glanced over his shoulder now, watching the undead now having removed one of the massive claws of the metal scorpion. His head swung back, his mouth curling into a grin, made all the more menacing by the trademark skull painted over his face.

"An now weh fight...For deh Horde!" he roared out, raising his own bow up above his head, the army followed his example, calling out for anyone who might not already be here, making sure everyone knew, the charge started NOW.

They moved as one, a massive wave of races, tauren and troll, orc and goblin, pandarian and elf, charging at the now undefended gate as the Juggernaut fell to the Forsaken forces. Clouds of dust billowed up along the warm thermals that littered the desert, the pandarian kitesmen unfurled their mounts and rode the cloud up, as the bats dropped from their upside down roost, fanning out their wings to join the air force as they began to rise, their troll riders poised on their backs, soaring above the charging army as they rushed the now vulnerable gate. The Forsaken joined the charge, leaving the remains of the siege machine behind as a pack of Night Elven Riders slipped from the shadows of their victory to carve out a path for the revolutionaries. Within minutes, most of the revolution was within the gates.

The Tempest, however, had it's own orders.

Tzu Brewskee soared over head, crouched down and gripping the top of his kite as he soared over his allies. He was serving as an aerial watch, along side Vizier Soilhoof who had shifted into his stormcrow form and was flying along side him. The Tempest, was beneath them, charging Northwest, and into the Southfury River. Lo'ek strode across the water's serface, her molten fists smoldering as she set the spells around herself, pulling up the others, granting them her speed and mobility as they all began to make landfall the other side, and charge up the banks. Lexx Raeli threw off her cloak and launched herself at one of the few guards who stood at the bridge. The grunt could hardly have seen her coming since she happened to just appear in front of him, daggers drawn and he felt them drop into his shoulders, the hilt of the knife making a 'clink' that seemed to echo in his ears as he felt down into the river below. The other grunt was quick on the response of seeing his friend fall, pulling out his massive axe he charged towards the elf as she glanced down to make sure her quarry had not saved himself.

Lexx seemed to have no care for the orc now charging her, but she turned to him anyways, her knives half raised, showing that she was willing to fight him, but she just didn't have to. The grunt's eyes went wide as a blood curdling 'urk' slipped from his lips. Still wide eyed, he glanced to his left, and saw the stern face of another elf, Banor Raeli, his brows raised in annoyance.

"Mother..." he grumbled, his eyes shifting to her as the orc fell to the ground

"I did what I was asked, I incapacitated one and distracted the other, it's not my fault my darling son was a little slow on the uptake" Lexx sheathed her daggers and glanced to Lo'ek who was trying to suppress a smile. But after seeing Banor's own mother smiling at her, she allowed herself to grin back to her. Lo'ek knew gaining Madam Raeli's approval wasn't going to be easy, but these little interactions seemed to help.

Tempest began to regroup at the bridge, Krex made his way forward, pushing people out of the way whit the demonwood casket, clearing a path that Ty'Oris now followed as he worked on unlocking the chain that held the box shut.

"Now, you all know what Mograine, no one is to touch this thing, and Ty' here only for as long as it takes. It's not meant for you, so don't get any ideas..." said Krex, his fits on his hips as he glared at everyone. Of course, if he could touch it, but that's because he knows he shouldn't.. or something. Goblins often didn't understand even their own logic, but that didn't usually stop them from thinking or doing what they wanted. All in all, you can say anything you want about them, goblins were true to their hearts. Ty'Oris snorted down at him, giving him a prod with his boot.

"Yes yes... now out of the way, it needs room." The box opened, and Ty'Oris Wreckstorm pulled out a blue glowing Soulblade.

The aura of it was frigid, the feint gasping sounds it made helped to push people back, giving the blade wielder room to do his work. Ty'Oris watched the sky, his eyes darted to the sun, then back to the sky. With in moments, the Zephyr came into view, soaring over the Barrens as it approached Orgrimmar to dock, Ty'Oris's eyes locked on it, watching the boat that hung beneath the massive zeppelin. As if on cue, a pair of stormcrows darted out of the back entrance to the airship, each holding a goblin in it's thick talons.

Goh'jin leapt over the railing of the bow, launching himself into the air, the spirit tiger, Qou leaping faithfully behind him. Ash Stormborn's eyes were now watching his quick decent as he plummeted to earth. She counted slowly on her hand, by the time she had gotten to five, her hand was open and she lifted it skyward, the glowing gold light shot up from her outstretched palm to the falling troll and catching him in a cloud, a few meters above the ground. The hunter drifted down slowly, Qou landed before him, then turned to wait expectantly for her master to stand beside him.

"Weh beh all clear, do eet" mutterd Qoh'jin, glancing up to the airship, watching the stormcrow shapes of Viuna and Eldt carry the goblin pilots to safety.

Ty'Oris glance to Lo'ek, who was also watching the unmanned ship drift over their heads.

"Once it gets beyond the Valley of Spirits, let it fly." she said, never taking her eyes off the zepplin. Ty'Oris nodded, his small eyes barely seen over the spiked faceplate of his battle helm.

He and Lo'ek were minorities in this revolution, and it was an odd feeling. For years, Orcs had been the power, and the rest of the Horde supported them, like spokes on a wheel. Orcs had been the axle which drove the Horde.. but now... he took a deep calm breath, blinking slowly. Everything was going to change, but how far will this go? The Soulblade was heavy in his hand, cold mist poured off the glowing blue runes along it's edge. His hand tightened on the hilt as he hefted the blade up, and in one smooth movement, he hurled it at the drifting airship.

The Soulblade flew end over end, rolling through the sky, cutting through the air and leaving a long trail of cold runic power. You might have expected it to land, point first into it's intended target, but few are so lucky, and even less so talented. The edge of the sword sliced into the airbag, the speed of the rotation pulling the tip of the blade down, and through the rest, cutting deeper into the leather dirigible. Once the blue runic flames finally breached the purple hide of the balloon, it exploded with an echoing 'wooosh' the gas inside combusting into an eerie blue flame that rose up over the city. From this angle, it looked just like any blue fire, but seen from the other side, the side this was all intended for- a horn could be heard from the north, echoing gently through the canyons of Orgrimmar.

Then another, and another, growing louder, the horns of war blasting and echoing at the sight of the flaming blue skull that rose up over the sieged city. Far to the north, hovering over Bilgewater Bay, the necropolis 'Acherus' had made it's way to Kalimdor, the Knights of the Ebon Blade made their way into the city, they had been anxiously waiting for their signal. The moved like a wind, their runic auras stretching out before them as the Death Knights went to war.

The flaming skull began to dissipate, the sounds of the Ebon Blade advancement could be heard already, they were eager, they remember all the orcs who spat at them and threatened to dismember them simply for trying to return to their normal lives. Thall had understood them, Thrall had pardoned them, this Horde was not their Horde.

Lo'ek and the others of the Tempest watched the zeppelin's boat crash and splinted into the jagged rocks below. The Orcess then began to roll her shoulders as she spread her hands wider apart, summoning the volatile fire elemental she'd been working closely with throughout her struggle with the elements. The scorching behemoth rose up, pulling itself into existence using the flames of the burning capitol as fuel, it's beady glowing eyes and now looked down to the shaman who called him, Lo'ek looked back with a proud smirk.

"Beulah, it's time to burn."

* * *

Zul'Re'zo stood in the Imperial Mercantile, staring at the Thunderbluff portal. He had just sent Viuna, Goh'jin and Eldt through it, but now, his mind wandered. There was a plan communicated to him; a young pandaran named Nomi had delivered it, tucked away inside a small bag of foods and trio would be well on their way to Orgrimmar now; he was suppose to follow. The Orgrimmar portal had long since winked out, he could only imagine what was happening in the Valley of Honor, and how Ji Firepaw might be taking these... new developments. He sighed out, reaching into his bag and pulling out a fist full of cloth. The Wrap of Unity, everyone within Tempest had been given one, once covered with the large cloth, it would teleport those under it into the Cleft of Shadow. Re'zo couldn't remember who had thought this thing up or why it would bring him to the Cleft of Shadow, but that didn't matter now, he had his way into the city.. plans began to formulate in his mind as he glanced back to the portals.

"Re'zo! Oh oh! Shadow Walker!..." Lorewalker Cho ran through the Keggary, stumbling briefly over the edge of one of the thick kegs. Re'zo turned around, watching his stout friend run to him, he could see a smile on his face, having caught him before he left. Cho then doubled over, his hands on his knees, catching his breath, where had he run from?

"My friend... Taran Zhu...is -ALIVE-" Re'zo blinked, his memory rolling back over the past few days, he shot his attention back to Cho as he started talking again

"That... Hellscream... he took the heart, the heart of the Sha, the heart of.. an ancient god!" Cho said this as if expecting gasps of shock and awe. Re'zo just stood in front of him, giving him a brief nod.

"Cha.. ah know..." Cho nearly choked as he sputtered on his own words

"Y-you know? Since when?! Why have you not told me? Told anyone?!" Re'zo shifted a little, sighing

"Ah only jus found out meh self recently." he could feel a twinge of a headache creeping up on him as the echos of the whispers slowly began to resurface at the thought Cho looked him over, then glanced to the Keggary, then back to Re'zo.

"Okay." he said, his eyes becoming more serious as he looked over Re'zo's face, he could see it in his skin, hear it in his voice, the Shadow Walker had a heavy heart now, there was a darkness inside of him that reflected the darkness he controlled. Cho had nothing but respect for Zul'Re'zo, he found him to be a most amiable friend, he offered his paw to him.

"I will wish you good luck then, my friend. I will stay here and tend to Taran Zhu, we will be with you as soon as we can." Cho shook the troll's hand, giving it a firm grip, and was reluctant to release it.

Zul'Re'zo looked at the large cloth as he held it up in front of himself. It really was quite hideous, certainly an elf must have designed this, there was gold trim everywhere. He shook his head and swung it over his shoulders, tying it around his neck as he glanced back to Cho.

"Ah gonnah do all ah can... dis been need'n tah happen fer some time.. ah beh ready." and with those last few words hanging in the air, Re'zo pulling the cloak over him, and vanished beneath it. The Wrap of Unity fell into a pile on the floor, then dissolved away. Cho watched it as the magic cloth was reabsorbed into the world, to find it's spacial location. The Lorewalker began to wander back to the Keggary, a paw running over his head.

"There, will be stories about this, oh yes... but how far will this go?"


End file.
